Special  A,   Y,  P.   Exposition 
'UVENIR  EDITION 


uburbanite's  Handbook 


Dwarf  Fruit  Tree  Culture 

Their  Training  and  Management 


WITH 


A  Discussion  on  their  Adaptability  to  the  Requirements 
of  the  Commercial  Orchardist 


Both  in  CONNECTION  and  in  COMPETITION  with  Standard  Trees 


By  DR.  A.  W.  THORNTON 

Ferndale,  Whatcom  County,  Washington 

1909 


GIFT  OF 


MAIN  LIBRARY- AGRICULTURE  DEPY. 


^^Suburbanite's  Handbook 


OF 


Dwarf  Fruit  Tree  Culture 


Their  Training  and  Management 


WITH 


A  Discussion  on  their  Adaptability  to  the  Requirements 
of  the  Commercial  Orchardist 


Both  in  Connection  and  in  Competition  with  Standard  Trees 


By  DR.  A.  W.JTHORNTON 

i -^ 

Ferndale,  Whatcom  County,  Washington 
1909 


Gitt 


Copyright,  1909 
By  DR.  A.  W.  THORNTON 


IT 

PREFACE 


In  blocking  out  this  hand-book  I  endeavored  to  place  myself  in 
the  position  of  a  suburbanite  with  little  or  no  practical  experience 
on  Horticultural  subjects,  and  who  was  desirous  of  beautifying  and 
improving  his  home  by  the  culture  of  these  lovely  dwarfs. 

Realizing  such  a  one's  requirement  for  a  simple,  detailed  book 
of  instructions,  to  enable  him  to  know  what  to  do,  and  how  to  do  it, 
I  present  this  hand-book  for  the  benefit  of  suburbanites  generally. 
While  many  readers  may  be  well  informed  upon  general  Horti- 
cultural subjects,  yet  their  attention  has  not  been  directed  to  the 
subject  of  Dwarf  Fruit  Tree  Culture.  I  trust  they  will  derive  both 
pleasure  and  instruction  herefrom.  The  work  is  open  to  criticism, 
of  course,  favorable,  or  unfavorable,  as  may  happen.  Others  might 
have  done  better,  and  again  they  might  not.  I  remember  back 
seventy  years  ago  we  had  these  dwarf  trees  in  our  home  garden,  and, 
strange  to  say,  that  many  of  the  choice  fruits  of  that  day  still  hold 
a  high  place  in  the  selected  lists  of  " Bests "  in  the  nurserymen's 
catalogue  of  the  present  day.  In  spite  of  the  strenuous  efforts  of 
three-fourths  of  a  century  to  surpass  them,  they  still  hold  their  own. 

In  conclusion  I  wish  to  acknowledge  the  courtesy  of  Professor 
Waugh  of  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  in  sending  some 
cuts  for  illustrating  this  hand-book.  Professor  Waugh,  who  is  per- 
haps the  best  posted  man  in  the  United  States  on  the  subject  of 
dwarf  fruit  trees,  has  written  a  valuable  work  on  the  subject  which 
I  can  highly  recommend. 

My  greatest  difficulty  in  preparing  this  hand-book  occurred 
when  I  came  to  select  a  list  of  dwarf  fruits,  in  deciding  which  to 
keep  in  my  list,  and  what  to  strike  out,  the  claims  of  many  of  those 
stricken  out  being  in  many  instances  fully  equal  to  those  retained. 
Not  being  able  to  include  all  the  "Bests"  I  was  compelled  to  make 
a  selection,  and  will  let  it  "go  at  that,"  and  leave  it  an  open  ques- 
tion whether  to  modify  my  list  in  future  editions. 

In  conclusion  I  will  say,  I  have  taken  much  pleasure  in  prepar- 
ing the  work,  and  only  hope  my  readers  will  enjoy  as  much  pleasure 
in  reading  it,  and  that  it  may  prove  the  means  of  attracting  their 
attention  to  this  highly  interesting  and  delightful  occupation  of 
Dwarf  Fruit  Tree  Culture. 

A.  W.  THORNTON, 
Ferndale,  Whatcom  County,  Washington, 

--528273 


The  Suburbanite's  Handbook 

— —OF— 

Dwarf  Fruit  Tree  Culture  and  Management 


Bush  Pear  Tree 

Beurre  Capaiumont — Photo 

Fig.  i. 


Apple  Tree — 8  branches 

Trained  to  goblet  form 

Fig.  2 


It  has  been  found  that  by  treating  fruit  trees  in  a  particular 
manner  they  may  be  so  dwarfed  in  growth  that  forty  and 
more  apple  trees  may  be  grown  in  the  space  ordinarily  required  for 
a  single  standard  apple  tree,  at  the  same  time  increasing  their  pro- 
lificacy and  vastly  improving  the  quality  and  beauty  of  the  fruit. 
Other  fruits,  as  apricots,  nectarines,  pears,  plums,  etc.,  are  subject 
to  the  same  change.  This  dwarfing  is  no  new  discovery,  but  has  been 
practiced  successfully  in  Europe  for  centuries,  and  in  Japan  for  a 
millenium,  and  has  been  reduced  to  a  science,  that  is  perfectly  simple, 


6  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

and  may  be  successfully  practiced  by  any  one  who  is  capable  of  doing 
as  they  are  told. 

There  are  three  varieties  of  apple  roots  which  have  this  power 
of  dwarfing  the  growth  if  budded  or  grafted  on  them.  They  are 
known  as  the  Paradise,  Doucin  and  Crab.  The  Paradise  apple  is  a 
slow  growing  dwarf  tree,  a  native  of  Europe,  and  is  largely  propa- 
gated in  France,  to  be  used  as  a  stock  for  working  free  growing 
apple  scions  into,  in  order  to  dwarf  their  growth,  and  is  the  best 
adapted  for  producing  very  small  trees.  The  apple  trees  reduced 
on  this  stock  are  so  reduced  in  size  that  they  may  be  planted  only 
three  or  four  feet  apart,  and  the  bearing  age  is  so  forwarded  that 
they  will  begin  to  bear  some  times  the  first  year,  and  by  the  fourth 
year  will  bear  a  bushel  or  more  of  the  choicest  quality  of  fruit. 
The  Doucin  apple  is  another  variety  of  dwarfs  wild  apple,  but  is  of 
a  more  vigorous  growth  than  the  Paradise;  it  is  called  in  England 
"The  broad-leafed  Paradise,"  which  causes  some  confusion  in  the 
catalogues  of  dwarf  fruit  trees.  It  is  better  adapted  for  apple  trees 
that  are  to  be  trained  as  half  standard  and  espalier  tree,  as  it  does 
not  dwarf  the  growth  so  much  as  the  French  Paradise.  Both,  how- 
ever, may  be  grown  in  pots,  if  desired,  and  yield  large  crops.  The 
Crab  is  still  more  vigorous  and  is  hardly  comparable  with  the  Para- 
dise. It  is  used  for  growing  half  standards,  and  especially  adapted 
for  making  "fillers"  in  commercial  orchards.  All  other  apples  are 
grown  on  ordinary  apple  roots. 

The  dwarfing  of  fruit  trees  is  subject  to  definite  laws,  which 
may  be  briefly  expressed  thus:  "Anything  that  retards  the  flow  of 
sap  in  growing  trees  has  a  tendency  to  dwarf  the  growth,  increase 
f ruitf ulness  and  hasten  maturity  in  bearing. "  It  is  therefore  evident 
how  peculiarly  adapted  these  dwarf  trees  are  to  the  requirements  of 
the  suburbanite,  who  on  his  town  lot  can  have  a  miniature  garden, 
consisting  of  forty  or  fifty  of  these  little  trees  of  the  choicest  varieties 
of  apples,  pears,  plums,  apricots,  nectarines,  peaches,  figs,  grapes 
and  small  fruits,  not  to  mention  the  unalloyed  pleasure  of  tending 
and  training  the  lovely  pets.  I  do  not  know  of  anything  more  beauti- 
ful and  interesting  than  these  little  trees  from  the  time  they  first 
break  into  bloom  in  spring  and  while  passing  on  to  the  perfecting 
of  their  delicious  fruit.  Above  all  is  the  infallible  pleasure  and 
pride  of  the  tired  and  worried  business  man,  or  the  tired-out  society 
woman  going  morning  or  evening  to  care  for  the  little  beauties — 
a  snip  here  and  a  pinch  there  trains  them  in  the  way  they  should  go. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  7 

Or  can  you  realize  the  feeling  of  pride,  pleasure  and  satisfaction 
after  training  these  little  trees  with  your  own  hand  to  grow  in  pots, 
and  when  loaded  with  gorgeous  flowers  or  luscious  fruit,  when  en- 
tertaining your  friends,  to  place  pot  and  tree  to  decorate  your  dining 
table  as  a  center  piece,  and  surprise  them  with  the  result  of  your 
own  handy  work.  This  is  an  experience  not  uncommon  in  Europe, 
where  it  is  frequently  practiced.  The  question  of  health  also  is 
worth  considering  in  this  connection.  Like  those  little  treea  produc- 
ing their  fruit  so  near  the  ground,  secure  a  degree  of  health  and 
beauty  therefrom  not  to  be  obtained  otherwise,  so  the  closer  the 
worn-out  man  or  woman  can  get  to  work  in  the  ground  the  happier 
and  better  they  will  feel. 

There  was  a  physician  in  California  who  was  so  alive  to  this 
fact  that  he  made  his  female  patients  believe  he  could  cure  them 
quicker  not  by  giving  them  medicine,  but  by  prescribing  for  the 
vegetables  they  consumed.  He  therefore  made  them  grow  their  own 
vegetables,  fertilizing  them  with  his  medicines,  which  they  were  to 
apply  to  the  plants  daily,  at  stated  hours,  and  in  strictly  regulated 
quantities ;  he  also  succeeded  in  convincing  them  that  his  medicines 
so  altered  the  character  of  the  juices  of  the  plants  that  they  became 
entirely  different  from  the  stuff  they  could  obtain  in  the  market, 
and  the  use  of  them  would  quickly  effect  a  cure.  When  he  made  his 
professional  calls  it  was  not  to  see  his  patients,  but  to  examine  how 
the  cabbage,  lettuce  and  cauliflowers  were  progressing.  His  patients, 
of  course,  got  well,  as  might  be  expected  from  the  change  of  lolling 
in  rocking  chairs  and  restricted  sunlight  to  working  close  down  to 
dear  old  mother  earth,  in  God's  bright  sunshine.  So  with  you,  the 
care  of  these  dwarf  fruit  trees  will  tone  you  up  more  than  all  the 
nostrums  in  the  drug  store. 

To  resume,  pears  are  dwarfed  by  working  on  quince  stock, 
which  enables  them  to  be  trained  in  a  variety  of  forms.  Not  all 
pears  take  kindly  to  working  on  the  quince,  but  when  they  do,  they 
are  very  satisfactory,  and  when  they  do  not,  we  can  compel  them 
to  do  so  by  the  process  of  double  grafting,  which  is  accomplished 
by  first  budding  or  grafting  some  variety  of  pear  that  naturally 
takes  kindly  to  the  quince  and  then  working  the  rebellious  pear  on 
that.  This  has  proved  a  complete  success  and  the  result  is  all  that 
can  be  desired.  The  double  grafted  pears  are  always  of  the  highest 
quality  (although  a  little  more  expensive).  Whether  owing  to  the 
double  influence  of  the  combined  sap  of  the  quince  modified  by  pass- 


s 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


ing  through  the  pear  graft,  I  know  not.  The  fact  remains,  however, 
these  double  grafted  pears  are  always  of  the  highest  quality  and  well 
worth  the  extra  price.  Boot  pruning  (instructions  for  which  will  be 
given  farther  on)  is  also  used  to  check  any  exuberance  of  growth. 
Some  times,  if  too  rampant  growers,  the  trees  are  completely  lifted 


Photo  of  Peasgoods  Apple  and  Doyenne  du  Cornice  Pear 
Fig.  4 

and  replanted  in  the  same  place  or  removed  to  another  locality, 
without  checking  their  fruiting.  They  may  also  be  planted  in  pots 
with  good  effect. 

The  apricot,  nectarine,  peach  and  plum  are  dwarfed  by  working 
on  the  Myrobolan,  Mariana  and  Mussull  plum  stocks.  They  may 
also  be  dwarfed  to  advantage  on  the  ''American  Western  Sand 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


"Crimson  Galande"  Peach,  6  years'  old 
Fig-  37 

Cherry."  They  can  be  grown  in  pots,  both  plain  and  perforated  as 
well  as  in  baskets  (see  cuts).  When  planted  in  perforated  pots,  or 
baskets,  the  pot  is  plunged  in  the  spring  in  a  rich  border,  and  the 
fine  protruding  fruit  fibers  feed  on  the  surrounding  fertile  soil.  In 


10 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


the  fall,  after  the  fruit  has  been  gathered,  the  pots  are  taken  up  and 
the  protruding  roots  cut  off  and  the  pot  and  tree  removed  to  the 
orchard  house  or  cellar.  In  the  case  of  basket  planting,  the  basket 
is  planted  in  its  place  and  left  there,  when  it  soon  decays  and  leaves 
the  roots  free  to  spread. 

The  cherry  is  dwarfed  by  working  on  the  Mahaleb  cherry  or  the 
sand  cherry.  The  fig's  growth  is  restricted  by  potting  and  root 
pruning. 


Peach  in  Perforated  Pot 
Fig.  3 

All  the  above  fruits  are  grown  in  England  and  France,  and  may 
be  grown  successfully  in  the  United  States  if  the  necessary  condi- 
tions are  complied  with.  Of  course  the  United  States  is  a  mighty 
BIG  country  and  includes  many  varying  climatic  conditions,  which 
may  require  modifications  of  treatment  for  the  trees,  but  there  are 
few  regions  so  inhospitable  as  to  be  beyond  redemption,  as  I  will 


OP  DWiARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


11 


presently  show.  I  note  the  American  Pomology  Society,  in  a  bul- 
letin (Bulletin  No.  8,  Division  of  Pomology),  issued  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  has  divided  the  United  States  into  19  Pomol- 
ogical  districts,  more  or  less  adapted  to  different  varieties  of  fruits. 
For  the  purpose  of  this  hand-book  I  will  reduce  that  number  to  the 
following  five : 

First — The  northern  tier  of  states,  consisting  of  Maine,  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  North  and  South  Dakota, 
Montana  and  Wyoming.  This  contains  some  of  the  most  inhospitable 
fruit  regions,  but  it  may  to  a  great  extent  be  made  to  meet  the  re- 
quirements of  those  dwarf  trees. 


Fancy  trained,  globlet  form 

Showing  vine  when  inconvenient  to  plant  near  a  wall  may  be 
planted  at  a  distance  in  a  basket  and  led  underground  to  wall 

Fig-  5 

Second — The  middle  belt  of  states  from  the  Atlantic  coast  to  the 
112th  degree  of  longitude,  which  comprises  a  fairly  good  fruit  region, 
and  well  adapted  to  dwarf  tree  culture. 

Third — We  have  the  region  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  includ- 
ing Idaho,  Eastern  Washington  and  Eastern  Oregon  and  Nevada. 
This  embraces  a  varied  fruit  region,  in  many  places  producing  the 
finest  quality  of  fruits  and  in  others  (from  local  conditions)  some  not 
so  good,  but  nearly  all  may  be  utilized  for  dwarf  trees. 


12  tfHE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

Fourth — We  have  the  southern  states,  with  Southern  California, 
which  is  unadapted  to  some  varieties  of  dwarf  trees  while  others 
do  well. 

Fifth,  and  Last — We  have  a  region  where  the  dwarf  fruit  tree 
garden  requirements  are  met  to  perfection,  namely,  Puget  Sound, 
Western  Washington  and  Western  Oregon,  a  region  unsurpassed  and 
unsurpassable  in  many  ways,  and  where  every  suburbanite  should 
have  his  dwarf  tree  garden  in  full  operation  to  its  utmost  capacity 
and  enjoy  his  own  apples,  apricots,  nectarines,  peaches,  pears,  plums, 
figs,  currants,  gooseberries,  strawberries  and  grapes. 

While  thus  dividing  the  United  States  into  fruit  sections,  no 
hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  made,  and  allowance  must  be  made  for 
varying  local  conditions. 

It  may  be  asked  here :  If  dwarf  fruit  trees  are  so  well  adapted 
to  use  in  the  United  States  and  have  been  grown  in  Europe  for 
centuries,  why  have  they  not  been  introduced  here  ?  They  have  been 
frequently  introduced  and  tried,  but  they  were  introduced  and 
worked  under  the  European  system  of  management  that  was  not 
adapted  to  American  conditions.  In  fact,  the  introducers  tried  to 
open  an  American  lock  with  an  European  key  that  did  not  fit.  Lat- 
terly, however,  several  of  the  American  Agricultural  Experiment 
Stations  and  some  private  experimenters  have  been  investigating  the 
subject  with  good  results,  To  illustrate  what  apparently  trifling 
errors  in  details  may  work  injury  to  the  fruit  industry :  When  the 
practice  of  training  fruit  on  walls  was  introduced  from  England 
(where  it  had  been  successfully  practiced  for  centuries)  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  trees  were  quickly  killed  with  the  heat.  The  mystery 
was  not  solved  for  many  years,  when  it  was  discovered  that  the  diffi- 
culty could  be  obviated  by  training  the  trees  not  against  the  walls, 
but  to  trellises  three  inches  from  the  wall  and  thus  allowing  all  of  the 
hot  air  concentrated  by  the  sun's  rays  against  the  wall  to  escape  and 
secure  free  ventilation.  It  is  now  a  fully  established  fact  that  dwarf 
trees  can  be  as  successfully  produced  in  the  United  States  as  they 
can  in  England  or  France,  and  the  adaptability  of  these  trees  to  sub- 
urbanite's  use  is  freely  admitted  by  experts.  The  question  of  their 
suitability  to  the  requirements  of  the  commercial  orchardist  is  still 
an  unsettled  one  and  open  to  controversy,  with  strong  arguments  in 
its  favor.  I  will  therefore  treat  the  two  questions  separately,  and 
the  reader  may  judge  for  himself. 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  13 

THE  DWARF  TREE  GARDEN  PROM  THE  SUBURBANITE'S 

POINT  OF  VIEW. 

The  suburbanite  is  generally  possessed  of  a  limited  piece  of 
ground,  and  the  use  of  large  standard  fruit  trees  is  out  of  the 
question.  He  requires  to  combine  the  ornamental  with  the  useful 
as  far  as  possible.  His  ground  has  the  great  advantage  of  being 
well  sheltered  from  harsh  winds  (a  very  important  consideration  in 
fruit  culture).  As  a  rule  he  does  not  look  for  profit  from  selling 
his  fruit.  He  looks,  however,  for  the  enjoyment  of  beautifying  his 
home  and  making  it  attractive  to  passersby,  and  if  at  the  same  time 
he  can  produce  fruit  of  the  highest  quality  for  himself,  family  and 
friends,  he  will  feel  himself  amply  repaid  for  the  work.  While  he 
is  thus  enjoying  the  pleasures  of  rural  life  he  is  at  the  same  time 
making  a  valuable  investment  by  increasing  the  money  value  of  his 
property  should  he  at  any  time  desire  to  sell.  Also,  if  he  has  chil- 
dren,, by  giving  each  of  them  one  or  more  of  these  little  trees  FOR 
THEIR  VERY  OWN,  and  teaching  them  how  to  care  for  them,  he 
may  develop  a  taste  for  nature  studies  that  will  go  far  to  wean  them 
from  the  streets,  hoodlums  and  other  bad  in  fluences  to  which  sub- 
urbanite boys  and  girls  are  exposed.  While  the  commercial  orchard- 
ist  requires  as  few  varieties  as  possible,  but  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  furnish  carload  lots  of  each  fruit,  the  suburbanite  desires  as  many 
varieties  as  possible,  though  only  one  or  two  trees  of  each  kind,  so  as 
to  secure  fresh  and  varied  fruit  of  his  own  growing  every  month 
in  the  year.  The  dwarf  fruit  tree  garden  therefore  fully  meets  his 
wants.  He  can  have  a  supply  of  little  trees  of  dessert  pears  ripening 
their  fruit  from  July  and  every  succeeding  month  till  the  following 
April;  he  can  also  have  a  few  varieties  specially  adapted  for  stew- 
ing or  baking,  and  can  have  a  few  specially  suited  for  exhibition 
purposes,  for  those  dwarf  trees  will  produce  the  largest  and  hand- 
somest fruit  to  be  found  anywhere.  In  apples,  too,  he  can  have  a 
varietv  of  desert  apples,  ripening  every  month  in  the  year,  from 
July  to  the  following  June.  He  can  also  have  a  select  lot  of  kitchen 
aDDles.  lasting  from  August  to  the  following  May,  which  will  add 
greatly  to  his  enjoyment.  In  regions  that  might  seem  too  severe  for 
these  fruits,  they  may  be  compelled  to  bear,  with  a  little  extra, 
trouble,  by  growing  in  pots  or  boxes,  and  the  luxury  of  growing 
them  will  fully  repay  any  little  extra  trouble,  which,  in  reality,  is 
no  trouble  at  all,  but  the  most  enjoyable  kind  of  pleasure. 


14  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

Peaches,  apricots  and  nectarines  may  be  classed  together.  They 
will  ordinarily  grow  in  the  open  air  in  many  parts  of  the  United 
States,  though  in  some  regions  the  climate  is  too  severe  for  them. 
By  dwarfing  they  become  hardier,  and  when  grown  in  pots  may  be 
shifted  without  difficulty,  after  the  fruit  has  been  picked  in  the  fall, 
to  the  protection  of  the  orchard  house  or  cellar,  and  again  be  set  out 
in  the  open  border  to  blossom  and  bear  fruit  in  the  summer. 

A  few  plums  and  cherries  should  also  have  a  place  in  the  garden, 
as  the  can  be  dwarfed,  while  the  cherries  may  be  saved  from  the 
exorbitant  toll  invariably  taken  by  the  birds  off  high  trees.  Figs, 
too,  though  seldom  grown  outside  of  California  and  the  Southern 
states,  can  be  grown  in  the  open  air  if  given  the  protection  of  the 
cellar  in  the  cold  weather  and  exposed  to  warm  and  sheltered  spots 
in  the  summer.  Currants,  both  white,  red  and  black,  are  very  desir- 
able, nor  do  they  take  any  more  room  than  the  dwarf  trees.  The 
gooseberry  is  a  fruit  not  adapted  to  the  hot  portions  of  the  United 
States,  but  in  the  cooler  regions,  is  a  most  luscious  fruit  to  eat  out 
of  hand  when  fully  ripe  and  one  that  Americans  know  very  little 
about,  judging  it  from  the  green,  sour,  unripe  fruit  usually  seen  in 
our  markets.  In  reality  there  are  varieties  of  the  gooseberry  more 
luscious  than  any  grape  when  fully  ripe.  Great  attention  has  been 
paid  to  improving  this  fruit  in  England  both  as  to  size  and  quality. 
They  now  come  in  a  large  variety ;  large,  medium  and  small ;  red, 
white,  green,  yellow;  hairy  and  smooth;  late  and  early  in  ripening, 
and  if  allowed  to  ripen  fully,  all  are  delicious  to  eat  out  of  hand,  and 
if  better  known  would  be  more  appreciated  in  this  country.  For 
many  years  great  improvement  has  been  made  in  England  in  the 
growth  and  quality  of  the  gooseberry  as  well  as  their  training,  owing 
to  the  practice  of  giving  prizes  for  the  best  berries  grown  each  year. 
This  is  particularly  exemplified  in  the  county  of  Lancashire,  where 
the  vast  number  of  mill  operatives  are  encouraged  to  compete  with 
one  another  in  producing  the  finest  fruits.  One  of  the  greatest  im- 
provements is  in  training  as  a  cordon  (see  cut)  for  the  trellis  or 
wall.  Heretofore  it  was  no  joke  to  pick  gooseberries  unless  one  was 
provided  with  a  good  pair  of  gloves  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
thorns,  but  now  by  training  as  cordons,  on  wires,  or  walls,  this 
trouble  is  avoided.  So  universal  is  the  culture  of  this  fruit  in  Eng- 
land that  leading  nursery  men  furnish  lists  of  over  100  varieties,  all 
having  received  one  or  more  prizes  in  different  seasons. 

Grapes  may  be  grown  as  dwarfs  either  in  pots  or  on  the  Cali- 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  15 

fornia  system.  There  the  vines  are  cut  back  to  mere  stubs,  each  one 
being  shortened  annually  to  only  three  buds,  these  buds  sending  out 
fruit  bearing  canes  the  next  season  and  greatly  improving  the  yield 
and  quality.  The  grape  grown  in  California  is  of  the  "Vitis  Vini- 
fera"  species,  and  are  of  the  highest  quality,  but  will  only  grow  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  in  the  open  air.  The  American  grape  is  of  the 
"Vitis  Labrusce"  species,  and  will  not  bear  the  short  pruning  the 
California  grape  stands. 

The  plum,  too,  is  well  adapted  to  the  miniature  garden,  and  is 
a  fruit  the  best  of  which  is  hardly  known  beyond  the  Pacific  Coast. 
In  Europe  and  on  the  Pacific  Coast  the  "Prunus  Domestica"  is  the 
species  chiefly  grown;  it  contains  as  a  class  plums  of  the  highest 
quality,  while  inferior  varieties  principally  are  grown  in  the  Eastern 
and  Western  states. 

Quinces  are  a  very  valuable  fruit  and  well  adapted  to  the  minia- 
ture fruit  garden  as  it  is  naturally  a  slow  growing  shrub  and  may 
be  farther  dwarfed  by  root  pruning.  It  is  chiefly  used  as  a  cooking 
fruit,  making  delicious  marmalade,  jelly  and  preserves.  The  small 
fruits,  as  strawberries,  currants,  raspberries  and  blackberries  should 
all  find  a  place  in  the  suburbanite  garden.  The  strawberry  may  be 
grown  as  a  border  or  edging  around  the  flower  beds  and  vegetable 
plots,  not  allowing  them  to  produce  any  runners,  and  by  planting 
them  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  apart  in  the  row  they  will  produce  an 
abundance  of  fruit.  I  have  grown  strawberries  on  this  hill  plan, 
keeping  the  runners  clipped  off,  and  have  kept  the  same  plants  on 
the  same  ground  for  15  consecutive  years  and  yielding  satisfactory 
crops  all  the  time.  This  system  is  not  adapted  to  commercial  culture, 
but  fits  in  to  the  suburbanite's  requirement  admirably.  Raspberries, 
especially  of  the  red  and  yellow  varieties,  may  be  controlled  and 
rendered  less  rampant  by  pinching  the  leading  bud  of  each  new  cane 
in  June.  When  the  canes  have  reached  about  three  feet  in  height 
they  will  send  out  side  shoots  and  become  more  stocky.  This  pinch- 
ing of  the  canes  may  be  continued  all  through  the  suntmer  if  re- 
quired to  control  the  growth.  I  fancy  I  hear  some  suburbanite 
possessing  only  a  small  25-foot  lot  close  in  town  say :  What  is  this 
man  "giving  us?"  How  can  I  plant  all  these  fruit  trees  on  my  little 
patch  of  ground?  Wait  a  bit,  my  friend.  There  are  suburbanites 
and  suburbanites,  some  living  close  in  town  with  their  25-foot  lots, 
and  some  living  further  out  with  lots  of  one  or  more  acres  and  all 


16 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK. 


dimensions  between  who  are  interested  in  this  subject.  Do  not  repine 
at  your  conditions,  but  take  advantage  of  the  opportunities  that  lie 
within  your  reach.  If  you  cannot  find  room  for  50  trees,  plant  25 ;  if 
that  is  too  many,  plant  10,  or,  at  all  events,  try  just  one,  and  my 
word  for  it,  you  will  be  so  pleased  that  you  will  soon  find  room  for 
another.  Remember,  it  is  the  man  behind  the  gun  that  makes  the 
shooting,  be  it  good  or  bad.  And  all  these  trees  are  grown  under 
high  pressure  and  artificial  conditions.  The  very  aristocracy  of  the 
fruit  trees  (the  "400,"  so  to  speak)  must  be  treated  with  all 
due  respect  and  proper  attention.  The  work  is  by  no  means  hard  or 
difficult  and  may  be  easily  accomplished  by  any  intelligent  man, 
woman  or  child  who  will  obey  orders  and  do  as  they  are  told.  The 
requirements  must  in  all  cases  be  done  at  the  right  time  and  in  the 
right  manner;  it  will  not  do  to  be  satisfied  with  "I  THINK  that  will 
do,"  but  go  one  step  farther  and  say,  "There,  that  is  JUST  RIGHT." 

WHAT  TREATMENT  DO  THESE  TREES  REQUIRE? 

First — They  require  feeding;  the  ground  must  be  fertile,  and 
kept  so. 


\ 


Maiden  "Maiden"  one-year  Peach 

Fig.  6  Fig.  7 

Second — They  must  be  kept  clean ;  no  weeds  must  be  allowed  to 
rob  the  land  of  its  fertility  and  moisture,  or  the  trees  will  be  stinted 
in  their  supply  of  plant  food. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


17 


Third — They  require  pruning  and  training  adapted  to  the  sys- 
tem you  wish  to  apply  in  each  particular  case.  To  render  this  part 
of  my  subject  more  intelligible  and  comprehensive,  I  will  take  each 
class  of  fruit  separately  and  discuss  the  individual  requirements  of 
each,  even  at  the  expense  of  some  repetition. 

First,  there  are  some  general  questions  which  require  elucida- 
tion, such  as:  Where  are  these  trees  to  be  obtained?  The  chief  source 
of  supply  is  England  and  France,  where  the  nursery  men  keep  them 
in  stock  at  different  prices.  First  ' '  the  Maiden ; ' '  this  is  the  original 
dwarfing  stock;  Paradise,  Doucin,  Myrobolan,  Mahaleb,  quince  or 
what  not.  These  are  budded  or  grafted  with  apple,  pear,  peach,  etc., 
as  desired,  but  are  not  pruned  in  any  way  and  are  known  as  "maid- 
ens, "  or  '  *  one  year-old  trees, ' '  and,  though  small,  are  the  foundation 


Peach  in  U  Form 

2  years'  old 

Fig.  9 


Cordon  Apple  Trees  in  bearing,  2  year's  o!4 

After  Le  Cormi 

Fig.  8 


18  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

for  all  the  training  of  the  future  tree,  as  bush,  Cordon,  Pyramid, 
Goblet,  Palmette,  Standard,  etc.  They  consist  of  a  root  and  stem 
with  the  graft  or  bud  inserted,  and  may  be  trimmed  back  to  an  inch 
or  two  of  the  graft,  and  are  in  the  best  condition  for  shipping  long 
distances,  at  the  some  time  the  price,  duty  and  cost  of  importing 
are  at  the  lowest  figure.  With  these  " maidens"  the  purchaser  has 
entire  control  of  the  future  form  he  wishes  his  little  tree  to  have. 
Should  he  not  purchase  his  tree  as  a  "maiden,"  then  the  nursery 
man  proceeds  to  train  it  to  suit  himself  and  sells  it  the  next  season 
as  a  trained  two-year  old  at  an  advanced  price.  It  is  really  a  one- 
year  from  the  bud  and  may  or  may  not  have  developed  one  or  more 
fruit  buds.  Next  season  it  will  develop  more  fruit  spurs,  or  fruit 
buds,  and  the  training  has  been  carried  on  still  farther  in  the  re- 
quired direction,  and  it  is  now  classed  as  a  bearing  tree  and  sold  at 
a  still  higher  price.  After  this  its  cost  and  value  increase  year  by 
year  in  accordance  with  its  size  and  number  of  fruit  spurs  and  from 
training. 

The  American  duty  on  "nursery  stock"  is  25  per  cent  ad  val- 
orem, in  addition  to  which  it  must  be  remembered  there  is  an  "entry 
fee"  charged  by  the  custom  house  of  $2  for  each  invoice,  as  well 
as  $1  charge  for  "permit."  It  will  therefore  be  seen  that  it  would 
be  inadvisable  for  the  suburbanite  to  send  to  Europe  for  a  small  lot 
of  these  trees.  For  instance,  say  he  wished  to  procure  $5  worth  of 
trees;  he  would  be  required  to  pay  in  addition  $1.25  duty,  $2  entry 
and  $1  per  mit ;  that  would  be  $4.25  in  addition  to  the  simple  price  of 
the  trees,  in  addition  to  which  there  would  be  freight  to  New  York, 
insurance  and  forwarding  and  overland  transportation  charges.  Nor 
could  he  avail  himself  of  the  intervention  of  parcels  post  service,  as 
the  goods  would  require  to  be  examined  at  the  customs  house  at  the 
first  porty  of  entry  reached  in  the  United  States ;  and  however  care- 
fully packed  originally  by  the  nurseryman,  would,  under  the  careless 
repacking  by  the  customs  house  people  and  the  further  3,500  miles 
overland  journey  by  railway,  run  a  very  strong  risk  of  being  utterly 
ruined  in  transit.  Some  of  the  stock,  however,  used  for  dwarfing 
if  under  3  years  old  comes  at  a  somewhat  lower  rate  of  duty  under 
the  class  of  "seedlings"  and  "cuttings"  which  is  a  specific  duty  of 
$1  per  1,000  and  15  per  cent  ad  valorem,  together  with  the  $3 
entry  and  permit  charges  and  the  trees  in  this  class  would  require 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  19 

working  after  they  reached  here  and  would  be  equally  unadapted  for 
private  importation  in  small  lots. 

I  may  say  here  by  way  of  parenthesis  that  as  I  will  be  constantly 
importing  these  trees  from  Europe  for  use  in  my  own  nursery  to 
supplant  my  stock,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  embody  in  my  orders  any 
stock  my  readers  may  require  at  prices  for  delivery,  duty  paid,  F. 
0.  B.  at  Ferndale,  to  be  had  upon  application. 

Having  now  an  intelligent  idea  of  what  these  trees  are  and 
where  to  get  them,  the  next  question  is:  What  preparation  is  re- 
quired, and  this  brings  us  to  the  consideration  of  soils,  fertilization 
and  planting. 

Any  good  fertile  garden  soil,  if  well  drained,  will  grow  fruit 
trees ;  but  wet,  soggy  and  lumpy  land  will  prevent  success.  As  I  said 
before,  these  dwarf  trees  are  high  toned  aristocrats  and  require  spe- 
cial attention,  therefore  to  secure  the  best  results  "intensive  culture " 
is  desirable.  The  land,  if  possible,  should  be  trenched  in  the  first 
instance.  Trenching  is  performed  by  first  marking  the  size  of  your 
bed,  then  by  digging  a  trench  18  inches  or  two  feet  deep  at  one 
end  of  the  bed,  taking  the  soil  dug  out  in  a  wheelbarrow  and  dump- 
ing it  close  to  but  beyond  the  other  end  of  the  bed.  You  have 
now  a  trench  from  which  the  soil  has  been  entirely  removed  to  two 
feet  deep;  you  then  continue  digging  the  bed  from  the  trench  still 
two  feet  deep,  turning  the  first  foot  of  top  soil  into  the  bottom  of  the 
trench,  and  the  second  foot  into  the  same  trench  on  top  of  the  other 
You  now  have  one  trench  filled  in  with  top  soil  at  the  bottom  and 
another  trench  open  next  the  undug  remainder  of  the  plot.  You  will 
continue  to  dig  strip  by  strip,  throwing  the  soil  into  the  open  trenches 
in  front  of  you,  and  thus  continue  until  you  have  dug  over  the  whole 
plot  and  have  an  empty  trench  left.  You  then  throw  the  soil  you 
dug  out  of  the  first  trench  into  this  last  empty  one  and  you  will 
have  your  plot  all  trenched  and  level.  This  is  the  most  thorough  and 
best  preparation  for  a  garden  plot.  If  you  cannot  get  the  whole  plot 
trenched  the  first  year  you  may  take  a  narrower  strip,  but  wide 
enough  for  the  trees,  and  trench  it  as  described  and  the  following 
year  trench  an  adjoining  strip  and  you  will  soon  have  your  lot  all 
trenched.  Should  your  land  not  have  good  soil  deep  enough  to  allow 
you  to  dig  eighteen  inches  or  two  feet  without  striking  hard  pan, 
you  will  require  to  dig  as  deep  as  you  can  and  add  a  liberal  allow- 
ance of  stable  manure,  incorporating  it  well  with  the  soil.  If  your 
land  is  reasonably  fertile,  it  will  require  no  fertilizer  the  first  or 


20  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

second  year,  as  you  must  not  force  the  growth  too  much.  Your 
object  is  to  check  the  growth  rather  than  stimulate  it;  when  it 
reaches  the  fruiting  stage  you  will  then  require  to  stimulate  with 
fertilizers.  I  have  been  thus  particular  in  detailing  the  process  of 
trenching  because  it  is  to  the  proper  performance  of  that  manipula- 
tion that  we  owe  our  greatest  success  in  dwarf  fruit  tree  culture. 
Where  the  grower  has  a  sufficient  area  of  land  that  he  can  avail 
himself  of  horse  power,  he  may  have  the  land  plowed  12  or  18  inches 
deep  and  subsoiled  and  the  surface  finely  cultivated,  as  for  a  garden 
patch.  But  above  all  it  must  be  well  drained,  either  naturally  or 
artificially,  as  fruit  trees  will  invariably  die  if  they  are  exposed  to 
cold  and  wet  feet. 

We  have  prepared  our  ground,  and  may  now  get  our  trees ;  but 
what  shall  we  do  with  them?  We  must  first  unpack  them,  and  at 
this  time  remember  that  the  roots  of  these  young  trees  are  very 
susceptible  to  injury  from  exposure,  so  have  everything  in  readiness 
before  you  open  the  package.  If  for  any  reason  you  are  not  ready 
to  plant  them  permanently,  it  will  be  necessary  to  "heel  them  in." 
The  expression  "heel  them  in"  means  to  make  a  temporary  planting 
of  them,  to  secure  them  from  injury  until  transplanted  in  their  final 
location,  as  this  is  a  manipulation  that  every  gardener  should  be 
familiar  with.  I  describe  it  here.  Select  a  spot  where  no  water  will 
stand  during  the  winter,  and  not  having  any  grass  close  by  to  harbor 
mice,  dig  a  trench  deep  enough  to  admit  one  layer  of  roots  and 
sloping  enough  to  allow  the  stems  to  recline  at  an  angle  of  about 
30  degrees  with  the  ground.  Having  placed  one  layer  of  roots  in 
this  trench,  cover  them  with  MELLOW  EARTH  EXTENDING 
WELL  UP  ON  THE  BODIES,  AND  SEE  THAT  THIS  IS  FIRMLY 
PACKED ;  then  add  another  layer  of  trees,  overlapping  the  first,  and 
continuing  as  at  first  until  all  are  heeled  in.  As  soon  as  this  is  done, 
cover  the  tops  so  well  with  evergreen  boughs  that  they  will  be  thor- 
oughly protected  from  winds.  In  sections  where  the  winters  are 
very  severe  trees  procured  in  the  fall  can  be  best  cared  for  in  this 
manner  and  may  be  planted  out  permanently  in  the  spring.  Having 
then  this  trench  ready  and  a  pail  of  water  at  hand,  unpack  your 
trees  and  look  them  over.  If  you  find  them  much  dried  out,  dip  them 
in  the  pail  of  water  and  allow  them  to  remain  in  it  a  few  minutes ;  if 
any  of  the  roots  are  bruised  or  injured,  trim  them  off  with  a  sharp 
knife  or  pruning  shears,  and  "heel  them  in"  as  directed,  emptying 
the  water  over  the  roots  in  the  trench  when  about  half  filled  with 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


21 


earth.  Be  particular  at  this  stage  to  see  the  labels  are  in  place  and 
secure  from  displacement  so  that  the  different  varieties  of  trees  can 
be  identified  in  the  spring.  Be  ready  to  plant  the  trees  as  soon  as 
received.  We  come  to  the  manipulation  of  planting. 

PLANTING — It  is  better  to  get  your  trees  in  the  fall  for  many 
reasons,  as  then  the  nursery  man  is  not  so  rushed,  and  as  their  supply 
is  not  so  picked  over  you  can  generally  secure  better  trees;  and  if 
you  have  everything  in  readiness  for  the  permanent  planting  the 
trees  generally  do  better,  as  they  start  right  in  to  make  new  fibrous 


Planting — WRONG. 
Fig.  63 


Planting — RIGHT 
Fig.  64 


feeding  roots,  which,  when  heeled  in,  are  to  some  extent  injured  in 
transplanting  in  the  spring.  Open  your  package  and  examine  the 
condition  of  the  roots;  if  too  dry,  moisten  them;  if  bruised,  trim 
them ;  see  that  the  labels  are  securely  attached,  but  not  tied  so  tightly 
as  to  constrict  the  stems.  Before  opening  the  package,  however,  you 
must  have  the  holes  dug  amply  large  enough  to  accommodate  the 
roots,  spread  out  in  their  natural  condition,  without  bending  or 
cramping  (see  cuts) ;  set  the  tree  in  the  middle  of  the  hole,  keeping 
it  perpendicular ;  spread  out  the  roots  in  their  natural  position,  and 
work  in  the  fine  soil  with  a  little  stick  or  your  fingers,  among  the 
roots  until  the  roots  are  covered,  and  tramp  them  solid  (the  earth 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


Root  development 

Root  injured  before  planting 

Fig.  10 


Root  development 

Not  injured  before  planting 

Fig.  ii 


around  the  roots  must  be  well  compacted),  then  fill  up  the  hole  with 
loose  earth.  SET  THE  TREE  FIRM  AS  A  POST,  BUT  LEAVE 
THE  SURFACE  SOIL  LIGHT  AND  LOOSE. 

Remember  to  plant  the  tree  with  the  point  of  union  between 
the  stock  and  graft  a  couple  of  inches  ABOVE  the  soil.  THIS  IS 
IMPORTANT,  for  although  it  may  be  advisable  in  planting  standard 
orchard  trees  to  place  the  point  of  union  with  the  graft  below  the 
surface,  the  dwarf  tree  require  the  opposite  line  of  treatment.  We 
graft  the  free  growing  cions  on  the  Paradise  or  other  dwarfing 
stock  for  the  express  purpose  of  restricting  its  growth,  and  if  we 
plant  the  dwarf  tree  with  the  point  of  union  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  the  free  growing  cion  will  throw  out  roots  of  its  own 
and  thus  antagonize  our  work  for  dwarfing.  I  wish  to  impress 
this  point  on  my  readers  because  they  will  find  many  authorities 
recommending  the  practice  of  covering  the  point  of  union  with  the 
soil.  This  they  do  from  being  unfamiliar  with  the  requirements  of 
the  dwarf  trees,  or  ignoring  their  existence  altogether;  my  object  in 
this  hand-book  being  to  instruct  the  suburbanite  in  the  culture  of 
DWARF  TREES,  not  commercial  orchards;  therefore  I  say  nothing 
about  supporting  the  tree  with  a  mound  of  earth  or  stakes,  as  at  this 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  23 

stage  these  little  trees  do  not  require  it.  However,  we  must  not 
forget  mulching,  which  must  now  be  done.  Mulching  is  accom- 
plished by  placing  a  layer  of  coarse  manure,  hay,  straw  or  other 
litter  from  three  to  six  inches  deep,  extending  one  or  two  feet  further 
all  around  than  the  roots.  This  protects  them  from  the  ground  dry- 
ing out,  or  baking  with  the  wind  or  sun,  and  keeps  the  soil  under- 
neath mellow.  This  mulch  may  be  removed  in  the  spring  or  turned 
under  and  incorporated  with  the  soil  in  the  after  culture.  Having 
our  trees  safely  planted,  we  may  now  take  time  to  consider  the  dif- 
ferent fruit  trees  in  detail. 

APPLES. 

As  apple  trees  produce  their  fruit  on  fruit  spurs,  which  remain 
bearing  from  year  to  year  and  for  many  years,  it  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  secure  and  maintain  the  largest  supply  thereof 
possible  and  protect  them  from  injury,  and  next  to  train  the  trees 
into  the  desired  shape.  The  shape  of  our  dwarf  trees  will  greatly 
depend  upon  our  special  requirements  and  is  in  a  great  measure 
under  our  control,  though  somie  trees  have  distinctive  habits  of 
growth  that  may  require  modification.  Thus  in  bush  trees  some  are 
naturally  close  growing  and  may  be  planted  only  four  feet  apart, 
while  others  of  a  more  open  habit  of  growth  will  require  more  space 
and  must  be  planted  six  feet  apart  or  more.  The  dwarf  apple  tree 
"maiden"  is  one  year  old  and  has  not  been  pruned.  When  we  plant 
it  we  cut  it  back  to  a  point  just  a  little  above  the  point  of  grafting ; 
the  second  year  it  will  send  out  side  shoots,  and  perhaps  a  few  fruit 
spurs  will  form  the  first  year  from  our  planting.  In  June,  if  there 
are  a  number  of  side  shoots,  select  the  most  favorably  placed  for  the 
future  frame  of  the  tree  and  let  them  grow  unchecked  till  the  leaves 
fall  in  the  winter,  when  they  may  be  cut  back  to  one-half  or  two- 
thirds.  The  other  shoots  that  start  as  soon  as  they  have  made  four 
good  leaves  should  be  pinched  back  to  three  perfect  leaves ;  this  will 
have  the  effect  of  making  a  fruit  spur  in  that  place  and  may  be 
expected  to  bear  blossoms  and  fruit  the  next  season.  No  shoots  must 
be  allowed  to  grow  below  the  graft  as  all  future  growth  must  be  con- 
fined to  whatever  comes  from  the  graft.  Sometimes  little  trees  make 
more  fruit  spurs  than  they  are  able  to  support,  in  which  case  it  may 
be  necessary  to  pinch  off  some  of  the  fruit  blossoms  BEFORE  THEY 
FULLY  OPEN.  Thereafter,  for  bush  trees,  you  may  let  them  grow 


24 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


Fancy  Trained 
Fig.  12 

as  they  will,  only  pinching  back  surplus  shoots  to  three  leaves  to 
form  more  fruit  spurs.  You  will  bear  in  mind  that  all  fruit  trees 
that  bear  their  fruit  on  spurs,  when  they  have  their  shoots  cut  back 
IN  SUMMER  to  half  an  inch  will  form  fruit  spurs,  and  if  pinched 
back  IN  SUMMER  to  three  leaves,  will  do  likewise.  Every  year 
these  little  bush  trees  will  bear  more  and  more  fruit,  the  first  year 
producing  perhaps  one  or  two,  the  second  year  perhaps  a  dozen,  the 
fourth  one  bushel,  and  thereafter  increasing  crops.  It  must  be  re- 
membered also  that  these  fruit  are  so  completely  under  control  that 
they  may  be  thinned  without  difficulty  to  just  what  the  capacity  of 
the  tree  will  justify  for  production  of  first  quality  fruit;  they  are 
so  dwarfed  that  the  wind  has  little  effect  on  the  fruit  in  causing 
windfalls.  These  dwarfed  trees  are  capable  of  being  trained  in  a 
number  of  different  forms,  but  simple  bushes,  Espaliers,  Pyramids 
and  Cordons  are  best  adapted  to  the  apple  (see  cuts  for  different 
forms  of  trees) .  All  these  forms  are  the  result  of  training  and  judi- 
cious pruning,  and  although  many  of  them  are  the  result  of  pure 
"fun  and  fancy,"  others  have  very  important  advantages.  It  will 
be  observed  pruning  is  of  two  distinct  classes,  one  for  the  production 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


25 


of  wood  and  increase  of  growth,  and  the  other  for  the  restraining 
growth  and  the  production  of  fruit,  and  are  known  as  winter  and 
summer  pruning.  With  dwarf  trees  the  summer  pruning  is  of  the 
greatest  importance,  a  neglect  of  which  will  quickly  work  havoc 
with  your  trees.  It  may  be  remarked  here  that  there  are  two  distinct 
systems  of  pruning.  See  Figs.  Where  they  are  contracted  one  is 
generally  called  the  "shortening  in"  process  and  may  be  described 
as  "pruning  back  from  the  tips,"  causing  compactness  in  form,  while 
the  other  is  "pruning  out  from  the  stem"  and  forms  a  spindling 
head  and  is  important  in  stone  fruit  trees,  such  as  peaches,  nectarines 
and  apricots,  which  produce  fruit  on  last  season's  shoots. 

Instead  of  growing  these  trees  as  simple  bushes  we  can  econo- 
mize space  by  training  them  as  cordons  and  at  the  same  time  increase 
their  production.  Cordons  may  be  either  upright  oblique  or  U  form 


Half  Standard 

Goblet  Form 

Fig.  13 


Standards  and  Half  Standards 
Fig.  14 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


Trained  Pyramid  Form  Pyramid  Form 

Fig.  15  FiS-  J7 

and  may  be  produced  as  follows :  If  your  maiden  tree  has  been  cut 
back  before  you  receive  it,  it  will  require  no  pruning  that  winter ;  in 
spring  shoots  will  start  from  the  graft  buds,  of  which  you  will  select 
the  most  upright  growing  and  tie  it  to  a  stake  as  it  grows.  In  June 


Palmetto  Form 
Fig.  16 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


27 


.-*-« 


Peach  Tree  "shortened  in" 

Properly  pruned  in  summer 

Fig.  18 


'•fc^J* 


Upright  Cordon 

2  by  4  ft. 

Fig.  20 


you  will  cut  all  side  branches  back  to  one  or  two  inches.  In  August 
pinch  back  any  shoots  that  have  made  five  leaves  to  three  leaves 
and  continue  each  winter  cutting  the  leader  back  within  one  or  two 


Peach  wrongly  pruned 

Winter  pruning 

Fig.  19 


28  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

buds  of  the  last  fruit  spur  and  keeping  all  side  shoots  cut  or  pinched 
back  through  the  summer.  Remember  the  cordon  is  simply  a  straight 
stem  without  any  branches  and  only  leaves  and  fruit  spurs  all  along 
its  length.  If  instead  of  a  single  cordon  you  wish  to  have  a  double 
cordon,  or  U  or  double  U,  instead  of  training  one  leader  perpendicu- 
larly, select  two  opposite  shoots  and  bend  them  down  at  right  angles 
and  then  at  six  inches  farther  b,end  them  upright  and  so  continue, 
leaving  six  inches  between  each  upright  branch,  thus  a  five-branch 
upright  trained  tree  will  measure  24  inches  from  outside  to  outside, 


*w 


U  Form  Upright 

Oblique  Cordon  Cordon  Fancy  Trained 

Fig.  21  Fig.  22  Fig.  23 

and  consequently  may  be  planted  two  and  one-half  to  three  feet 
apart.  The  oblique  cordon  is  between  the  upright  and  the  horizon- 
tal and  is  intended  to  secure  a  longer  stretch  of  bearing  wood  than 
would  be  obtained  if  trained  upright  on  the  same  height  of  wall  or 
trellis.  Oblique  cordons  may  be  planted  only  12  to  18  inches  apart. 
For  horizontal  cordons  plant  the  trees  eight  to  sixteen  feet  apart, 
depending  on  whether  you  wish  them  to  be  double  or  single.  If  single 
(which  is  preferable)  plant  the  trees  eight  feet  apart,  stretch  a  stout 
galvanized  iron  wire  between  rigid  posts,  about  one  foot 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


29 


from    the    ground,     and    bend  the  leader     at    right    angles    to 

the    stem    and    train    it    along  the    wire    as    it    grows    until    it 

overlaps    the    next    tree,    when  you    can    graft    them    together, 

called   enarching,   by   cutting   a  little   of  the   bark   off  each   and 


30 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


grafting    wax,    making 
along    the    wire.     This 


Oblique  Cordons 
Fig   27 

tieing  the  denuded  parts  together  with 
a  continuous  line  of  bearing  wood  all 
plan  is  especially  adapted  for  apples  and  is  generally  placed  along 
either  the  front  or  back  of  a  flower  bed.  The  double  horizontal 
cordon  differs  only  in  planting  the  trees  16  feet  apart  and  training 
two  leaders  in  opposite  directions  and  tying  together  the  ends  of 
adjoining  trees  when  they  overlap.  In  the  latter  case  you  save  the 
cost  of  one-half  the  trees  required  in  the  first  instance.  The  palmette 
Verier  and  the  Espallier  are  merely  modifications  of  the  cordon  and 
will  be  easily  understood  from  the  cuts,  they  have  the  advantage  of 
supplying  a  more  extended  surface  of  bearing  wood  and  conse- 
quently effect  a  saving  in  the  purchase  of  trees  at  the  start.  The 
pyramid  and  goblets  are  very  useful  styles  of  training  and  are 
specially  adapted  to  the  apple  and  pear.  Pyramids  require  a  very 
simple  system  of  pruning  and  yet  form  the  most  beautiful  and  pro- 
lific trees  for  garden  or  lawn.  The  whole  system  consists  in  simply 
thinning  out  the  side  shoots  in  June,  shorten  to  half  their  length  in 
October.  In  winter  a  few  autumnal  shoots  will  be  found  to  require 
pruning ;  these  should  all  be  shortened  to  three  or  four  buds.  If  the 
trees  are  aged  or  crowded  with  shoots  they  should  be  thinned  with 
a  sharp  knife;  this  will  constitute  the  whole  pruning  for  the  year. 
Pyramids  should  be  planted  in  rows  nine  feet  apart.  Goblet  or  vase- 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


31 


shaped  trees  are  very  useful  and  beautiful ;  for  these  a  dwarf  tree  of 
four  or  five  years  old  is  the  foundation  if  the  tree  will  produce  six 
or  eight  shoots.  For  a  few  years  these  shoots  will  require  to  be  tied 
to  stakes  for  support,  but  in  time  will  be  self  supporting.  Apple 
trees  of  this  form  are  exceedingly  ornamental  and  form  beautiful 
objects  either  in  blossoms  or  fruit;  the  hollow  center  allows  the 
admission  of  sun  and  air  to  the  great  benefit  of  the  fruit.  With 
these  instructions  and  a  fair  modification  of  good  taste  and  attention 
these  varied  forms  may  be  produced.  The  Japanese  and  some 
European  gardeners  produce  some  very  grotesque  forms,  which  have 
no  greater  value  than  the  ordinary  styles,  beyond  ''fun  and  fancy,'' 
and  certainly  the  forming  of  them  will  afford  lots  of  fun. 

Half  standard  apple  trees  are  dwarfed  on  the  Doucin  and  crab 
stock,  which,  while  reducing  their  size  considerably,  permits  a  larger 
growth  than  the  Paradise  and  render  them  eminently  adapted  for 
use  as  "fillers"  in  setting  out  commercial  orchards  to  occupy  space* 
between  the  larger  trees  while  waiting  for  them,  to  bear.  As  the 


PYRAMIDAL   FORM 

Fig.  28 


Pyramid  Trained  Peach 
Fig.  29 


GLOBE   FORM 

Fig.  29 


32 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


dwarfs  come  into  bearing  so  much  earlier  they  will  pay  a  large 
profit  before  the  large  trees  begin  to  bear.  Above  all  things  never  let 
any  shoots  grow  on  the  stem  between  the  root  and  the  graft  in  any 
of  these  trees. 


Half  Standard 
Fig.  30- 


Peach  Palmetto 

ist  Stage 

Fig.  31 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


33 


34  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

PEARS. 

The  same  rule  applies  to  pears  as  to  apples,  only  pears  are 
dwarfed  by  working  on  the  quince,  by  root  pruning  and  pot  culture. 
They  may  be  grown  as  bushes,  pyramids,  cordons  or  half  standards. 
Pyramids  and  several  forms  of  cordons  are  best  suited  to  the  pear. 
Walls  and  trellises  also  suit  this  fruit.  This  fruit  is  greatly  improved 
by  dwarfing  and  is  worthy  of  all  the  care  bestowed  on  it.  Their 
season  of  ripening  may  be  greatly  hastened  or  prolonged  in  the 
cooler  parts  of  the  United  States  by  winter  protection ;  or  be  forced 
by  training  into  cordons  and  bent  back  to  enable  their  being  covered 
with  a  hotbed  sash  in  the  spring  to  protect  their  blossoms  from  cold 
rains  and  prevent  the  polen  being  washed  off  the  flowers.  They  may 
be  grown  as  bushes,  pyramids,  cordons  or  half  standards,  but  pyra- 
mids are  the  most  beautiful  and  specially  adapted  to  the  suburban- 
ite's use,  especially  where  a  roomy  lawn  is  available. 

As  some  of  my  suburbanite  readers  may  like  to  obtain  a  money 


Trained  Pear  Tree,  only  6  inches  between, 
branches,  2  ft.  from  "out  to  out" 

Fig.  33 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  35 

profit  in  addition  to  the  pleasures  and  luxury  of  having  a  minature 
fruit  garden,  and  as  both  apples  and  pears  are  subject  to  the  same 
treatment,  I  will  in  this  place  give  a  few  hints  that  may  help  in  that 
direction.  It  has  become  the  fashion  in  England  (a  fashion  that 
might  with  advantage  be  introduced  into  the  United  States)  for  per- 
sons with  independent  means  to  plant  dwarf  fruit  trees  and  sell  some 
of  the  produce  to  less  fortunate  neighbors  at  fancy  prices.  As  an 
example  of  the  fancy  prices  that  are  sometimes  paid  for  dwarf 
fruit  of  highly  attractive  appearance,  I  may  mention  that  there  is  a 
pear  grown  in  Paris  called  the  "Belle  Angevine"  or  "Uvedales  St. 
Germain, ' '  so  attractive  and  large  that  it  frequently  sell  in  the  high- 
toned  delicatessen  stores  in  the  Palais  Royale  at  30  francs  ($5.70) 
EACH.  It  is  of  enormous  size,  often  weighing  two  pounds,  and  very 
attractive,  but  utterly  worthless  as  a  desert  pear,  and  as  to  its  cook- 
ing qualities  I  cannot  speak,  as  it  is  chiefly  used  to  ornament  the  din- 
ner table,  no  one  thinking  of  eating  it,  the  ordinary  fruit  stores 
selling  them  for  25  cents  each. 

On  the  subject  of  fertilizers  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  quote  from 
Prof.  E.  Waugh,  of  the  Massachusetts  Experiment  Station,  who  has 
devoted  much  time  and  study  to  this  subject,  and  says: 

"While  it  is  true  the  dwarf  fruit  trees  should  be  liberally  fed, 
there  is  a  possibility  of  overdoing  it.  It  has  already  been  explained 
that  the  dwarfing  of  a  tree  depends  in  a  certain  way  on  its  well 
regulated  starvation.  If  the  top  could  get  all  the  food  which  its 
nature  calls  for,  it  would  not  be  dwarfed.  The  rule  of  feeding  dwarf 
fruit  trees  therefore  should  be  to  give  them  enough  fertilizer  to  keep 
them  in  perfect  health  and  in  a  good  growing  condition,  but  not 
enough  to  force  unnecessary  growth.  Fertilizers  rich  in  nitrogen 
should  be  especially  avoided,  and  as  the  object  in  view  is  to  secure 
an  early  maturity  of  the  tree  and  to  produce  fruit,  always  in  prefer- 
ence to  wood,  a  larger  proportion  of  potash  would  naturally  be  sub- 
stituted for  a  diminished  proportion  of  nitrogen.  Of  course  the 
amounts  and  proportions  of  the  different  elements  (nitrogen  potash 
and  phosphoric  acid)  to  be  applied  will  vary  greatly  with  different 
conditions — with  the  nature  of  the  soil,  age  of  the  trees,  etc.  As  a, 
sort  of  standard  we  may  say  that  under  normal  conditions  of  good 
soil,  with  dwarf  apple  and  pear  trees  in  bearing,  there  should  be 
given  annually  for  each  acre: 

400  pounds  ground  bone. 


30  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

400  pounds  muriate  of  potash. 
100  pounds  Perucian  guano. 

v"  Peaches  and  plums  require  more  nitrogen  during  early  growth, 
and  more  potash  when  in  full  bearing.  For  a  new  plantation- of 
these  trees  the  following,  amounts  should  be  given  annually  for  each 
acre: 

300  pounds  ground  bone. 
400  pounds  muriate  of  potash. 
-    150  pounds  nitrate  of  soda. 

For  peach  and  plum  trees  in  bearing  the  following  formula  may 
be  suggested : 

400  pounds  ground  bone. 
500  pounds  muriate  of  potash. 
100  pounds  Purivian  guano. 

-  Inasmuch  as  many  owners  of  dwarf  fruit  trees  will  have  so  much 
less  than  an  acre  for  treatment,  it  will  be  best  to  repeat  these 
formulae,  reducing  them  to  a  smaller  unit.  Making  this  reduction 
somewhat  freely  to  avoid  long  and  useless  decimals.  We  may  com- 
pute the  quantity  needed  for  each  100  square  feet  of  land  as  follows: 

For  Apples  and  Pears  in  Bearing: 

1  pound  ground  bone. 
••-..        '  1  pound  muriate  of /potash. 
%  pound  Peruvian  guano. 

For  Peaches  and  Plums  Newly  Planted: 
•       %  pound  ground  bone. 
»      1  pound  muriate  of  potash. 
%  pound  nitrate  of  soda, 

For  Peaches  and  Plums  in  Bearing : 

'•  y±  pound  Peruvian  guano. 
114  pounds  muriate  of  potash. 
1  pound  ground  bone. 

•  For  treatment  of  trees  in  winter,  during  frost,  the  trees,  if 
closely  packed  when  received,  should  be  placed  in  a  cellar  or  some 
place  where  the  frost  cannot  reach  them,  and  there  remain  un- 
opened till  a  thaw  takes  place,  and  then  be  unpacked  and  plainted ; 
with  such  treatment,  even  though  frozen  solid,  they  will  receive  no 
injury. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  3? 

If  the  soil  where  the  trees  are  to  be  planted  is  of  fair  fertility, 
no  manure  need  be  added  before  planting,  but  some  fine  mold  be 
placed  on  the  roots  and  the  tree  shaken  so  that  it  enters  into. the  mass 
of  fibers,  and  then  be  trodden  down  firmly.  When  the  hole  is  filled 
in  level,  some  manure  may  be  spread. on  top  in  a  circle  of  about  three 
feet  wide.  If  the  soil  is  poor,  some  well  rotted  manure  may  be 
worked  in  when  planting.  In  heavy  and  wet  soils  trees  should  be 
planted  on  mounds  and  not  in  holes. 

DISTANCE  FOR  PLANTING. 

Pyramidal  pear  trees  and  bushes  on  quince  stock— 9  feet  apart. 

Pyramidal  pear  trees  on  pear  stock,  root  pruned — 12  feet.     -  - 

Horizontal  Espalier  pear  trees,  on  quince,  for  rails  or  walls— 
12  feet. 

Upright  Espaliers  on  quince  for  rails  or  walls — 4  feet. 

Horizontal  Espaliers,  on  pear  stock,  for  rails  or  walls — 20  feet 
apart.  :  , 

Pyramidal  plum  trees — 9  to  12  feet  apart. 

Espalier  plum  trees  for  rails  or  walls — 20  feet  apart'.. 

Pyramidal  and  bush  apple  trees,  on  Paradise  stock,  ro.ot  prunes, 
for  small  gardens — 6  feet. 

Espalier  apple  trees,  on  Paradise  stock — 12  to  14  feet.    ^ 

The  same  on  crab  stock — 20  feet. 

Peaches  and  nectarines  for  walls — 15  to  20  feet. 

Apricots  for  walls — -20  feet. 

Cherries  as  bushes  or  pyramids,  on  Mahaleb  stock,  root  pruned, 
for  small  gardens — 9  feet  apart. 

Espalier  cherry  trees,  for  rails  or  walls — 15  to  20  feet. 

Upright  cordons,  pear,  apple  and  cherry— 2  to  3  feet.  . 

Oblique  cordon  trees,  trained  to  a  wire  fence  (of  four,  wires 
five  feet  high  or  more)  2  feet  apart. 

Horizontal  cordons — single,  5  feet ;  double-^lO  to  16  feet.  \  * 

Standard  currants  and  gooseberries — 6  feet  apart:  ' 

Cordon  gooseberries  and  currants — 9  to  12  inches  apart. 

These  cordon  gooseberries,  if  planted  any  farther  apart,  allows 
too  much  room  for  the  roots  and  permits  them  to  grow  too  rampant 
and  consequently  would  require  root  pruning  to  keep  them  in  bounds. 
If  the  trees  bear  too  profusely,  so  as  to  exhaust  themselves,  some 
decomposed  manure,  about  five  bushels  to  25  square  yards,  should 


3g  THE  Stl&IJfcBANlTE'S  HANDBOOK 

be  spread  IN  THE  WINTER  over  the  surface  of  the  soil  and  left 
there.  These  condensed  orchards  are  for  small  properties.  A  small 
orchard,  well  cultivated  and  well  planted  will  be  found  most  pro- 
ductive and  profitable.  The  best  form  of  condensed  orchard  will  be 
secured  by  planting  oblique  cordons,  as  you  will  see  from  the  fore- 
going table  of  distances  for  planting  that  the  oblique  cordons  may 
be  planted  only  two  feet  apart  in  the  rows,  allowing  four  to  six  feet 
between  the  rows  (which  would  allow  horse  culture).  We  could 
have  3,630  trees  to  the  acre,  and  they  would  commence  bearing  the 
second  year  and  bear  increasing  crops  every  year  after,  where  there 
would  be  room  only  for  27  standard  apple  trees  at  40  feet  apart,  as 
ordinarily  recommended  in  commercial  orchards,  and  moreover  the 
standard  trees  would  not  come  into  profitable  bearing  for  eight  or 
ten  years. 


Peach  Tree  in  Pot 
Pig- 34 


Half  Standard 

Alexandra  Noblesse  Peach 

From  Photo 

Fig.  35 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


PEACH  TREE  IN   POT 

Fig.  36 

PEACH,  APRICOT  AND  NECTARINE. 


Double  Serpentine  Training 

After  Dr.  Thornton 

Fig.  38 


The  peach,  apricot  and  nectarine  may  be  considered  together, 
as  they  require  similar  treatment.  These  are  more  tender  than  the 
apple  and  pear,  but  are  still  available  for  suburbanite's  use  in  most 
parts  of  the  United  States,  where  the  climate  is  not  too  severe,  as 
they  can  stand  a  considerable  degree  of  frost.  They  may  be  grown 
in  pots,  either  plain  or  perforated  on  trellises,  or  against  walls. 
They  produce  their  fruit  on  the  new  shoots,  therefore  too  much  of 
the  new  growth  must  not  be  sacrificed,  only  enough  to  let  in  the  light, 
and  control  the  shape  of  the  tree. 

When  growing  these  fruits  in  pots  they  will  do  in  13  to  15-inch 
pots  for  the  first  four  or  five  years,  and  may  be  taken  up  in  the 
spring,  repotted  in  the  same  pots  with  fresh  soil,  and  plunged,  pot 
and  all,  into  the  border  to  fruit,  or  may  be  transferred  from  a  pot 
into  a  rich  border  and  kept  there  if  the  temperature  keeps  above 


46  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

zero.  They  may  be  wintered  outside  with  a  mulch  of  straw  placed 
around  the  roots.  If  trained  to  a  wall  they  may  be  kept  close  up 
to  the  wall  in  cool  climates,  but  in  hot  climates  it  will  be  better  to 
train  them  to  espaliers  or  wire  trellisses  to  prevent  them  getting 
scorched  or  burned.  Sometimes  the  foliage  becomes  too  dense,  when 
it  will  be  necessary  to  clip  or  pinch  off  some  of  the  leaves,  to  enable 
the  sun  to  reach  the  fruit  and  brighten  the  color.  In  this  case  NEVER 
PULL  the  leaves,  as  doing  so  will  injure  the  bud  adjoining  it  but 
pinch  with  the  finger  nail  or  clip  with  a  scissors  just  below  the 
expansion  of  the  leaf.  This  may  seem  a  trivial  matter,  but  it  is 
attention  to  just  such  trifles  that  make  or  mar  success  with  dwarf 
trees.  If  potted  trees  blossom  in  the  house  where  no  bees  can  get 
to  fertilize  them  the  flower  must  be  hand  fertilized;  in  such  cases 
the  blossoms  must  not  be  emasculated,  as  is  necessary  in  hybridizing, 
which  see  further  on. 

PLUMS. 

The  plum  is  a  very  delicious  and  superior  fruit,  but  is  not  as 
well  known  as  other  hardy  fruits,  chiefly  because  a  number  of  Amer- 
ican and  Japanese  plums  of  inferior  quality  have  been  in  use.  The 
plum  takes  up  rather  more  room  in  the  suburbanite's  garden  than 
some  other  dwarf  fruits,  as  it  is  generally  planted  12  feet  apart,  as 
half  standards,  with  a  stem  four  feet  high  and  a  round  head.  It 
requires  little  pruning.  They  may  however  be  trained  in  the  same 
way  as  other  stone  fruit,  as  the  peach,  and  may  be  confined  to  more 
moderate  dimensions  by  root  pruning ;  it  bears  its  fruit  on  fruit  spurs, 
There  are  several  varieties  of  plums,  prunes,  damsons  and  gages, 
etc.  I  would  recommend  for  suburbanite's  use  the  "Prunus  Do- 
mestica"  class  as  it  includes  all  those  of  finest  quality. 

THE  FIG. 

The  fig  is  a  very  luscious  fruit  to  eat  off  the  tree,  but  is  very 
little  grown  outside  of  California  and  the  Southern  states.  It  is 
admirably  adapted  to  the  small  fruit  garden,  where  it  can  generally 
be  provided  with  shelter  and  does  not  take  up  much  space.  It  may 
be  grown  in  pots  and  shifted  into  the  cellar  in  the  fall.  The  novelty 
of  growing  your  own  figs  adds  greatly  to  the  pleasure  of  doing  so. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


41 


THE  CHERRY. 

The  cherry  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  miniature  fruit  gardens 
as  they  may  be  dwarfed  by  working  on  the  Mahaleb  cherry  or  the 
American  Western  Sand  cherry.  They  must  be  root  pruned  and 
potted,  if  required  for  small  gardens,  and  may  be  trained  in  any  form 
and  bear  fruit  on  fruit  spurs  on  wood  two  years  old  and  over.  The 
large  Biggareau  varieties  do  especially  well  on  espaliers.  Dwarf 
cherries  can  also  be  secured  from  the  depredation  of  birds  more 
efficiently  than  on  larger  trees  as  they  can  be  covered  with  netting. 


Bush  Tree 
Ordinary  dwarf 
may  be  planted 

4  ft.  apart 
Fig.  40 


Domelow's  Seedling 
Apple  on  Paradise 

Stock 

Late  Winter  Apple 

3  years'  old 

Fig.  41 

SMALL  FRUITS. 


Grape  in  Pot 
Fig-  39 


These  consist  of  currants,  gooseberries,  raspberries,  blackber- 
ries and  strawberries,  which  no  garden  should  be  without.  Many  of 
them  may  be  planted  between  other  fruits,  or  in  any  out  of  the  way 
corner.  Of  currants  we  have  quite  a  variety — red,  white,  pink  and 
black — all  are  good,  either  for  preserving,  jelly,  wine  or  to  eat  fresh 
with  cream  and  sugar.  To  produce  very  large  white  or  red  cur- 
rants the  bushes  should  be  closely  pruned,  the  young  shoots  should 
be  annually  shortened  to  two  inches.  Currants  make  very  handsome 
pyramids  and  bear  profusely.  Gooseberries  furnish  a  great  variety 


42 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


STANDARD  CURRANT 

Fig.  42 


Currant  in  Tree  Form 
Fig.  43 


of  delicious  fruit  if  allowed  to  get  fully  ripe — red,  white,  green  and 
yellow,  smooth  and  hairy,  sweet  and  acid.  For  cooking  they  are 
generally  picked  green,  but  for  home  cooking  it  is  better  to  let  them 
get  fairly  ripe,  as  they  will  thus  develop  a  much  finer  flavor  and 
require  much  less  sugar.  With  regard  to  raspberries  and  black- 
berries they  are  so  well  known  as  not  to  require  any  description  here. 
They  bear  on  new  shoots  the  second  year  after  starting.  The 
canes  of  the  current  bear  the  summer  following,  and  the  old  canes 
should  be  cut  away  in  the  fall  or  winter  as  they  die  after  fruiting, 
and  only  three  or  four  of  the  strongest  new  canes  allowed  to  grow. 
They  may  be  kept  in  bounds  by  stopping  the  new  shoots  in  June. 

As  to  grapes,  I  will  not  enter  into  detail  for  the  reason  that  so 
much  depends  on  local  conditions  that  the  suburbanite  had  better 
consult  a  local  nursery  man  or  fruit  grower  concerning  them.  The 
strawberry  has  the  habit  of  sending  their  roots  straight  down,  and 
do  not  spread  their  feeding  roots  far  on  either  side  of  the  row. 
This  should  be  remembered  when  spreading  fertilizers.  While  the 
commercial  grower  of  strawberries  requires  to  cut  down  the  cultural 
expenses  to  the  lowest  notch,  the  suburbanite,  having  only  a  limited 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  43 

supply  of  plants,  can  afford  to  spend  more  time  and  care  over  them 
for  the  sake  of  producing  a  higher  class  of  fruit.  The  strawberry 
is  a  fruit  that  is  very  sensitive  to  good  treatment,  well  repays 
any  extra  attention  given  to  it.  In  order  to  economize  space  I  would 
recommend  the  suburbanite  to  plant  in  rows  as  an  edging  to  flower 
beds,  or  vegetable  plots,  putting  the  plants  one  foot  apart  in  the 
rows  and  keeping  all  runners  religiously  cut  off ;  in  this  way  all  the 
strength  of  the  plant  goes  to  the  fruit.  Should  you  wish  to  propa- 
gate extra  plants  of  any  particular  variety  it  will  be  better  to  have 
a  little  propagating  bed  in  some  out  of  the  way  corner;  there  you 
can  plant  the  varieties  in  rows  two  feet  apart  and  18  inches  between 
the  plants  in  the  row,  keeping  the  ground  mellow  and  free  from 
weeds  to  encourage  the  runners  to  start  and  root.  Another 
matter  about  the  strawberry  is  that  its  size  and  quality  is  greatly 
influenced  by  local  conditions,  so  that  a  variety  that  succeeds  well 
in  one  place,  when  grown  elsewhere  may  turn  out  to  be  almost  worth- 
less, without  any  fault  of  the  grower  or  the  party  who  recommends 
it;  it  will  then  be  wise  for  parties  thinking  of  growing  strawberries 
to  find  out  what  varieties  do  best  in  their  immediate  locality  and 
not  place  too  much  confidence  in  the  roseate  descriptions  in  the  fruit 
calatogs,  and  only  test  other  varieties  in  a  limited  manner.  At  the 
same  time  the  converse  of  this  is  also  true,  and  strawberries  that 
do  not  succeed  with  your  neighbor  may  excel  with  you.  Its  attrac- 
tions are  so  great  we  must  excuse  these  little  individual  peculiarities. 


Grape  in  Pot 
Fig.  45- 


44 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


Cordon  Gooseberries  only  9  inches  between  the  plants 

After  Le  Cornu 

Fig.  44 

This  whole  business  of  caring  for  a  dwarf  fruit  garden,  while 
affording  the  highest  pleasure  and  unalloyed  enjoyment,  has  its  cares 
and  responsibilities,  and  although  the  work  is  light  and  easy,  it  must 
not  be  neglected,  but  must  be  performed  just  at  the  right  time,  and 
in  the  right  manner,  from  the  preparation  of  the  ground  to  the 
eating  of  the  fruit,  for  even  that  most  important  work  must  be  done 
just  at  the  right  time,  or  when  the  fruit  is  mellow  and  in  its  best 
condition.  In  June  the  necessary  summer  pruning  must  not  be 
neglected  in  order  to  start  right;  this  may  mostly  be  done  the  first 
year  or  two  with  a  pocketknife  or  the  finger  nail.  A  pinch  here  and 
a  snip  there  does  the  work  and  leads  them  in  the  way  they  should 
go ;  but  for  every  pinch  and  for  every  snip  you  should  have  a  definite 
object  in  view.  First  decide  what  you  want,  and  then  stick  to  that 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


45 


ideal  and  work  to  it  as  near  as  you  can,  always  keeping  in  view 
the  necessity  of  encouraging  and  preserving  the  fruit  spurs  and 
securing  light  and  ventilation  into  the  heart  of  the  trees. 

In  former  times  that  was  pretty  much  all  there  was  to  be  done, 
but  of  late  years  the  enemies  of  fruit  trees  have  so  increased  that 
the  gardener  who  wishes  to  secure  the  best  results  must  look  out. 


Single  Serpentine 

After  Dr.  Thornton 

Fig.  46 


Special  Training  for  Currants, 
Gooseberry,  Grapes,  etc. 

Fig.  47 


Fortunatly  we  have  efficient  means  at  our  disposal,  and  careful 
use  of  them  will  secure  to  the  grower  complete  victory  over  all 
enemies.  Do  not  let  the  list  frighten  you.  Among  the  enemies  to  the 
apple  are  the  codling  moth,  the  tent  caterpillar  and  scale ;  these  are 
all  insects  enemies  and  live  by  eating  the  fruit  and  leaves.  There  are 
others,  such  as  the  woolly  aphis  and  other  aphidae,  oyster  shell  bark 
louse,  the  San  Jose  scale  that  live  by  suction.  This  is  a  very  im- 
portant difference,  as  one  lot  requires  one  kind  of  poison,  while  the 
other  requires  a  different.  Thus  the  biting  insects  as  the  codling 


46 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


Fancy  Trained  "Big  Horn" 

After  Thornton 

Fig.  48 

moth  and  tent  caterpillar  require  arsenicals,  the  suckling  insects 
require  kerosene  emulsion  and  fumigation.  There  are  germecidal 
enemies,  such  as  apple  scab,  brown  rot,  etc.,  that  require  the  Bour- 
deaux  mixture  or  lime  and  sulphur,  or  the  soluble  oils.  The  pear 
also  has  its  enemies,  as  the  Phytoptis  Pyri,  a  microscopical  insect 
that  causes  a  blistered  leaf;  there  is  also  the  pear  Physilla,  both  of 
which  may  be  destroyed  by  lime  and  sulphur,  or  soluble  oils.  There 
is  also  the  pear  slug,  which  also  affects  the  cherry.  The  peach  suffers 
from  the  curled  leaf,  and  the  yellows  also  rot.  The  plums  suffer  from 
curculie.  The  gooseberry  from  milldew,  and  the  currant  worm.  But 
enough  of  this  long  list  of  enemies,  which  all  require  constant  watch- 
fulness and  war  to  the  knife.  Farther  on  I  will  treat  at  length  on 
this  subject. 

DWARF  TREES  IN  POTS. 

As  some  of  my  suburbanite  readers  may  be  financially  so  fixed 
as  to  be  able  to  afford  themselves  the  luxury  of  an  orchard  house,  a 
few  remarks  on  that  subject  may  be  of  interest  in  this  place.  The 
orchard  house  may  be  an  elaborate  affair  in  size,  style  and  finish,  or 
it  may  be  a  simple  lean-to  without  heating  arrangements  and  costing 
only  a  few  dollars.  It  is  desirable  to  grow  the  different  fruits  in 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


47 


different  houses,  but  this  is  not  necessary  if  one  wishes  to  grow  a 
variety  in  one  house.  Only  in  that  case  the  different  varieties  should 
be  kept  together  "en  bloc"  for  the  sake  of  regulating  the  ventilation 
to  suit  each  lot.  The  best  form  of  orchard  house  is  the  span  roof, 
not  less  than  18  feet  wide  and  4  feet  6  inches  to  the  eaves,  and  10 


Conference  Pear — Photo 
Fig.  49 

feet  to  the  ridge;  in  length  20  to  50  feet  or  more;  ventilators  18 
inches  wide,  hinged  at  the  bottom,  run  along  each  side  of  the  house, 
one  foot  below  the  eaves ;  and  top  ventilators  2  by  3  feet  at  intervals 
of  5  feet,  alternately,  on  either  side  of  the  ridge.  The  pots  must 


48  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

not  be  stood  directly  on  the  ground,  but  should  have  some  cinders  or 
broken  crockery  placed  underneath  them  to  insure  drainage.  All 
fruit  trees  in  pots  require  to  be  repotted  every  year;  this  may  be 
done  as  soon  as  the  leaves  fall  in  October.  The  tree  is  then  taken 
out  of  its  pot,  and  the  outer  soil  raked  away  with  a  pronged  claw  till 
a  ball  of  earth  containing  the  larger  roots  is  left.  If  the  tree  is 
healthy  and  doing  well  the  soil  removed  will  be  full  of  fibrous  root- 
lets. A  clean  pot  of  the  same  size  (or  one  size  larger  if  necessary) 
having  a  sufficiency  of  broken  crockery  to  secure  proper  drainage, 
is  partly  filled  with  soil  to  a  height  that  will  bring  the  tree  to  the 
same  level  with  the  pot  rim,  as  it  was  before.  The  tree  is  then  placed 
in  the  pot,  held  so  that  the  stem  is  in  the  middle,  and  stands  vertical, 
whilst  the  soil  is  rammed  firmly  in  all  around  the  ball  and  the  pot 
filled  up  to  within  an  inch  of  the  top  of  the  rim.  In  potting  only  a 
little  soil  should  be  used  at  a  time  and  firmly  rammed  with  a  stick 
before  adding  more.  The  soil  should  be  of  good  fibrous  turfy  loam 
three-fourths  mixed  with  one-fourth  rotten  stable  manure ;  for  stone 
fruits,  lime  in  the  shape  of  old  mortar,  etc.,  should  be  added;  mix 
some  little  time  before  using  and  do  not  allow  it  to  get  sodden  or 
dry.  After  they  have  been  repotted  the  trees  should  be  given  some 
water  and  stood  close  together  in  the  house.  In  severe  weather 
straw  should  be  packed,  round  and  over  the  pots  to  keep  the  frost 
out.  Little  water  need  be  given  the  trees  in  the  house  during 
November  and  December.  Early  in  February  the  trees  may  be 
pruned  and  at  the  end  of  the  month  the  trees  set  four  feet  apart. 
A  good  smoking  with  tobacco  should  be  given,  and  the  trunks  and 
larger  branches  brushed  with  quassia  chips  wash.  If  the  trees  have 
been  properly  summer  pinched,  pruning  consists  in  shortening  the 
last  season's  growth  to  behind  the  point  at  which  it  was  first  pinched. 
Dead  wood  and  that  not  required  to  furnish  the  tree  must  be  cut 
out.  In  pruning  peach  and  nectarines  the  sho.ots  must  always  be  cut 
to  a  wood  bud  (easily  distinguished  when  the  flower  buds  are  round 
and  plump  and  in  a  triple  eye  situate  between  two  of  these  latter). 
If  there  are  no  bees  to  do  it,  the  flowers  rrtust  be  fertilized  or 
polenized  by  hand  with  a  soft  brush.  Plenty  of  air  must  be  allowed 
at  the  flowering  stage.  When  the  fruits  are  set  and  the  leaves 
growing  the  house  should  be  kept  closer  and  the  syringe  used  freely, 
damping  down  well  at  night  to  obtain  a  moist  growing  atmosphere. 
Peaches  and  nectarines  push  too  many  growths  along  their  shoots; 
they  would  be  overcrowded  if  left  and  must  be  cut  right  out,  most 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


49 


of  the  remainder  being  converted  into  fruit  spurs  by  pinching  out 
the  growing  point;  only  the  end  bud  is  allowed  to  extend,  or  per- 
haps one  or  two  others  required  to  cut  back  to.  When  stone  fruits 
are  beginning  to  swell  they  must  be  cleaned  of  dead  flowers,  etc. 
In  most  cases  the  fruits  must  be  thinned  out.  Pears  and  apples  will, 
as  a  rule,  thin  themselves  out,  but  peaches,  nectarines  and  apricots 
set  too  many  fruits,  all  of  which  would  mature  if  allowed.  They  must 
have  the  crop  reduced,  going  over  it  three  times,  once  when  the  fruit 
has  set,  again  when  it  is  the  size  of  a  nut,  and  finally  after  stoning 
is  finished. 


ESPALIER  BEARING   FRUIT 

Fig.  50 

After  peaches  and  nectarines  have  stoned  and  when  apples  and 
pears  are  swelling  the  trees  should  be  top-dressed  and  given  liquid 
manure  diluted  with  water,  about  twice  a  week.  A  good  top- 
dressing  is :  Equal  parts  of  horse  droppings  and  loam  mixed  to- 
gether, spread  out  into  a  bed  about  a  foot  deep,  and  saturate  with 
water.  This  is  ready  for  use  the  day  after  it  is  made.  The  mixture 
is  placed  on  the  surface  of  the  soil,  about  two  inches  deep  near  the 
pot  rim  and  sloping  towards  the  stem  of  the  tree;  renew  when  the 
fruit  is  coloring.  Summer  pinching  controls  the  growth  of  the  trees. 
When  a  shoot  has  made  about  six  inches  of  growth  the  tip  should  be 
pinched  off ;  the  leading  shoot  of  a  pyramid  may  be  allowed  to  extend 
rather  more.  The  top  shoots  of  a  tree  (always  the  most  vigorous) 
are  pinched  first ;  this  keeps  them  from  taking  the  lead  and  keeping  it. 

Insects  must  never  be  allowed  to  get  the  upper  hand.  Aphides 
are  killed  by  fumigation,  directly  they  are  noticed.  Red  spider 
thrives  in  dry  heat  and  is  kept  down  by  syringing,  forcibly  wetting 


50  TflE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

the  underside  of  the  leaves  and  by  dampening  so  as  to  get  a  moist 
atmosphere.  Syringing  must  be  discontinued  when  the  fruit  is  ap- 
proaching maturity.  A  single  four-inch  pipe  running  around  the 
house  enables  one  to  keep  the  frost  out  when  the  trees  are  in  flower. 
In  case  of  a  cheap  orchard  house  being  decided  on,  without  a  regular 
furnace  and  piping  for  artificial  heating,  the  frost  can  be  econom- 
ically kept  out  by  one  of  these  blue  flame  kerosene  wickless  stoves. 

Pears  in  pots  form  a  most  useful  and  satisfactory  addition  to 
the  fruit  garden.  The  method  is  simple  and  certain;  an  orchard 
house  without  artificial  heat  (either  lean-to  or  span-roof)  will  shelter 
the  trees  until  all  danger  from  spring  frosts  is  past.  The  weather 
by  the  end  of  May,  or  first  part  of  June,  is  generally  mild  enough 
to  enable  the  grower  to  put  his  trees  out  of  doors;  after  this  opera- 
tion a  sufficient  supply  of  water  and  occasional  surface  dressing  of 
manure  or  manure  water  will  insure  the  production  of  fine  fruit. 
For  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  cultivation  13  or  15-inch  pots  will 
be  large  enough ;  in  the  autumn,  after  the  fruit  is  gathered,  the  trees 
should  be  repotted  in  the  same  pots  and  fresh  soil  added.  The  trees 
should  then  be  either  replaced  in  the  house  for  the  winter  or  plunged 
out  of  doors,  protected  against  severe  frost  by  covering  the  surface 
of  the  ground  with  mulch.  If  replaced  in  the  house  trees  should  be 
also  protected  during  severe  frost  by  a  thick  covering  of  straw 
around  and  over  the  pots.  At  the  time  of  repotting  any  of  the 
straggling  roots  should  be  pruned.  When  selecting  a  site  for  a  fruit 
house  for  shelter  it  is  advisable  for  the  easy  removal  of  the  trees 
to  select  a  spot  with  sufficient  room  to  have  a  summer  border  in  a 
line  with  the  house.  Another  method  is  to  grow  the  trees  in  per- 
forated pots  (see  cut). 

The  border  in  which  they  are  plunged  should  be  of  good  soil, 
mixed  with  a  large  proportion  of  rotted  manure,  into  which  the 
trees  will  root  annually.  As  a  rule  the  rotten  manure  should  be 
renewed  when  the  trees  are  repotted,  and  at  the  time  of  plunging 
the  soil  should  be  stirred  as  deep  as  the  pots  are  plunged.  When 
plunging  the  pots  place  a  handful  of  potsherds  or  gravel  under  the 
pot  in  order  that  the  drainage  may  be  rapid  and  effectual.  When 
taking  up  these  perforated  pots  in  the  fall  do  not  forget  to  cut  off 
the  fibrous  roots  protruding  through  the  pots. 

The  above  system  answers  equally  well  for  plums  and  apples. 
The  return  is  constant  and  certain,  and  with  plums  the  fruit  bearing 
season  is  considerably  prolonged  as  the  slight  advantage  given  by 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  51 

the  shelter  in  the  spring  advances  the  maturity  by  fully  ten  days. 
This  result  has  been  repeatedly  proven. 

ROOT  PRUNING. 

Root  pruning  is  a  manipulation  little  practiced  in  this  country, 
and  very  little  understood  by  the  horticulturist,  but  in  dwarf  tree 
culture  it  is  frequently  absolutely  necessary  as  the  only  available 
means  of  checking  a  too  rampant  growth.  The  important  point  in 
dwarf  tree  culture  is  keeping  the  root  system  completely  under  con- 
trol, and  changing  from  the  natural  wide  and  deep  stretching  roots 
of  the  ordinary  apple  tree  to  a  close  mass  of  fibrous  feeding  roots. 
Our  first  effort  in  effecting  this  change  is  the  grafting  of  the  free 
growing  cion  on  some  of  the  natural  dwarfing  stock,  as  before 
mentioned.  Sometimes,  owing  to  extra  fertility  of  the  soil,  or  other 
natural  cause,  the  little  tree  refuses  to  be  controlled  and  becomes 
rebellious  and  starts  into  a  too  rampant  growth  that  would  upset 
all  our  expectations  and  utterly  spoil  our  work,  consequently  we  are 
compelled  to  use  heroic  measure,  which  is,  in  fact,  "striking  at  the 
root  of  the  trouble."  When  we  first  find  our  little  tree  obstreperous 
we  give  it  the  first  lesson  by  curtailing  its  tap  root,  this  is  accom- 
plished by  forcing  a  sharp  spade  obliquely  under  the  roots  until  the 
tap  root  is  severed.  If  that  lesson  is  not  effectual,  we  administer  the 
next  dose  the  next  season  by  forcing  a  sharp  spade  perpendicularly 
into  the  ground  at  varying  distances  from  the  tree,  according  to  its 
size,  and  dig  in  a  circle  HALF  WAY  AROUND  THE  TREE,  not 
turning  the  soil,  but  merely  cutting  the  superficial  roots.  The  next 
year  repeat  the  dose  half  way  around  the  other  side  of  the  tree, 
Sometimes  we  dig  up  the  tree  entirely,  trim  the  roots  and  return  it 
back  to  where  it  had  been  growing;  this  is  best  done  in  the  fall  or 
winter,  and  does  not  interfere  with  the  fruiting  the  next  season. 
Root  pruning  is  hardly  ever  necessary  in  potted  trees  farther  than 
trimming  them  if  necessary  at  the  annual  repotting,  as  by  changing 
them  from  smaller  to  larger  pots,  as  occasion  requires;  we  have  the 
roots  entirely  under  control.  The  result  of  all  this  severe  treat- 
ment is  that  our  little  tree  accepts  the  correction  and  abandons  its 
evil  way  and  goes  to  work  bearing  still  more  and  more  beautiful 
fruit,  thus  illustrating  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  in  "training  the 
child  in  the  way  he  should  go." 

The  new  course  is  a  very  important  and  interesting  phase  of 
dwarf  fruit  culture,  embracing  hybridization  and  cross  fertilization. 


52  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

a  work  particularly  adapted  to  these  trees  for  the  reason  of  their 
coming  into  fruit  so  speedily,  consequently  by  budding  the  product 
of  our  cross  fertilization  we  will  be  able  to  produce  fruit  in  two 
years,  and  judge  of  the  success  and  value  of  our  work,  while  under 
ordinary  conditions  we  are  compelled  to  wait  several  years  before 
we  can  obtain  results. 

Hybridization  and  cross  fertilization  consists  of  removing  the 
polen  from  the  stamen  of  one  flower  and  placing  it  on  the  pistil 
of  another  blossom  of  the  same  species  but  different  variety,  and  we 
take  the  seeds  of  the  fruit  produced  by  that  cross  and  plant  them; 
the  trees  that  fruit  will  produce  will  bear  fruit  altogether  dif- 
ferent from  either  of  the  original  parent's  product,  and  may  or  may 
not  produce  a  continuation  of  the  qualities  of  both.  They  may  be 
better  or  worse  than  either  or  both  their  parents,  larger  or  smaller, 
handsomer  or  less  attractive,  and  at  all  events  a  new  creation,  due  to 
your  skill  and  enterprise.  Having  procured  after  careful  nursing  a 
tree  of  this  hybridized  stock,  we  are  naturally  anxious  to  know  what 
it  amounts  to,  but  it  would  take  years  waiting  till  that  tree  naturally 
bore  fruit,  which  might  after  all  be  worthless;  or  again,  a  really 
valuable  improvement  upon  any  former  product.  In  the  one  -case 
you  would  dig  it  up  and  throw  it  away,  or  in  the  other,  propogate  it 
to  the  limit  and  perhaps  make  a  fortune  out  of  it.  All  our  valuable 
fruits  have  been  obtained  in  this  way  and  the  originators  have  been 
paid  large  sums  of  money  for  the  new  variety.  An  instance  of  this 
come  to  mind  in  the  case  of  the  celebrated  Fay's  Prolific  Red  Cur- 
rant. Mr.  Fay  developed  this  currant  by  hybridization,  and  it  was 
so  superior  to  other  red  currants  that  Mr.  Joslyn,  a  nursery  man, 
took  it  in  hand  and  paid  Mr.  Fay  some  $14,000  in  royalties  for  it. 
I  give  this  from  memory  and  may  be  subject  to  some  correction. 
Anyhow,  a  large  amount  of  money  was  realized  by  the  originator. 
Now  then,  we  have  got  a  new  variety  of  fruit  tree  raised  and  are, 
of  course,  desirous  to  know  what  it  will  amount  to,  so  we  take  a 
bud  from  it,  when  the  sap  is  flowing  freely,  and  insert  it  into  one  of 
the  dwarf  trees  and  cause  it  to  develop  into  a  fruit  spur,  and  the 
next  season  it  will  bear  new  fruit. 

The  whole  process  is  very  simple  and  interesting  and  anybody 
who  has  a  love  for  flowers  can  practice  the  art  successfully,  for  all 
flowers  are  subject  to  the  same  rule.  It  was  in  this  way  the  cele- 
brated Mrs.  Lawson  carnation  was  produced,  for  which  Mr,  Lawson 
paid  $30,000. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


53 


\/<$\i\r\l— i-> 


Strawberry  Blossom 
Perfect  and  Pistilate 
A  Male.  B  Female 


Pistil 

"Female  Organ" 
Fig.  52 


As  there  are  many  little  details  to  be  observed  it  may  be  well 
to  give  a  cursory  sketch  of  the  natural  fertilization  of  flowers.  The 
flower,  as  every  one  is  aware,  is  the  foundation  of  the  fruit  or  seed 
and  consist  of  organs  for  fertilization.  Th  stamen  is  the  male  organ 
and  produces  the  polen,  which  is  the  fertilizing  ingredient.  The 
pistil  is  the  female  organ,  and  at  a  certain  state  of  its  development 
becomes  receptive  for  the  polen,  and  unless  that  polen  comes  in  con- 
tact with  the  pistil  just  at  that  time  there  can  be  no  fertile  seed  pro- 
duced. Now  we  have  perfect  and  imperfect  flowers,  or  uni-sexual 
and  bisexual;  in  some  cases,  as  the  strawberry,  we  have  both  per- 
fect and  imperfect.  The  perfect  plant  has  both  stamens  and  pistils ; 
the  imperfect  plant  has  no  stamens,  and  consequently  bears  no  fruit, 
unless  a  staminate  plant  is  growing  near  it,  and  the  bees  and  other 
insects  or  wind  carry  the  polen  from  one  place  to  the  other.  Corn 
and  all  nuts  have  two  classes  of  flowers  on  the  same  plant,  but  dif- 
ferently located.  The  tassels  on  the  top  of  the  plant  of  corn  are  the 
male  flowers,  while  the  silk  is  the  pistil,  and  at  the  receptive  period 
the  polen  is  shaken  off  by  the  wind  and  drops  on  the  receptive  silk, 
and  the  kernel  is  produced.  Now  when  this  polen  falls  on  the  re- 
ceptive pistil  it  is  carried  down  to  the  ovary  and  the  pistil  then  with- 
ers away  and  the  seed  is  developed  in  due  course. 

In  hybridization  and  cross  fertilizing  the  following  conditions 
must  be  observed: 


54  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

First — The  flower  must  be  prevented  from  fertilizing  its  own 
pistil.  This  is  done  by  clipping  off  with  a  fine  curved  scissors  (a 
manicure  or  embroidery  scissors  will  answer)  all  the  stamens  and 
corolla,  leaving  only  the  pistil  standing.  This  is  called  emasculating 
the  flower. 

Second — Means  must  be  taken  to  prevent  fertilization  by  insects 
or  the  wind.  This  is  accomplished  by  " bagging" — enclosing  the 
pistil  after  the  stamens  have  been  removed  in  a  little  bag  of  tissue 
paper,  closely  tied  to  the  branch  (or  stalk  of  flower)  on  which 
the  flower  is  growing,  so  that  no  insects  can  get  inside  the  paper 
bags  to  feerilize  the  pistil. 

Third — When  the  pistil  becomes  receptive  a  slight  moisture 
forms  on  the  top  of  the  pistil  (called  the  stigma),  and  a  watch  for 
that  condition  must  be  kept  (this  generally  occurs  in  the  bright  warm 
forenoon) ;  when  this  is  observed  a  staminate  flower  from  which  the 
polen  is  to  be  taken  is  picked  and  brought  conveniently  near  the 
emasculated  flower  that  is  to  be  fertilized.  This  staminate  flower  must 
be  in  about  the  same  stage  of  development  as  the  flower  to  be  fer- 
tilized. Anyway,  it  must  show  the  polen  in  a  powdery  state  on  the 
stamens.  Then  dust  the  polen  on  the  moist  stigma  of  the  pistil  either 
direct  from  the  flower  or  with  a  soft  camels  hair  brush ;  replace  the 
tissue  paper  capsule  for  a  couple  of  days  and  the  work  is  done. 
After  the  pistil  withers  there  is  no  further  danger  of  objectionable 
fertilization,  and  the  tissue  paper  bag  may  be  removed.  It  is  well  to 
treat  several  flowers  in  the  same  way  at  the  same  time  to  avoid  the  risk 
of  failure.  Next  tie  a  label  to  the  branch  that  the  flower  is  on,  to 
enable  you  to  identify  the  fruit  later  on  and  make  a  record  of  the 
names  of  each  as  to  sex.  This  is  generally  done  by  naming  the  female 
flower  first  and  the  male  after,  thus  (Gravenstein  and  Baldwin). 
It  must  be  remembered  that  the  result  of  hybridization  will  show  no 
difference  from  the  other  fruit  on  the  tree,  at  least  not  necessarily. 
It  is  the  seed  of  that  fruit  that  is  altered  by  the  process  and  the 
PRODUCT  OF  THAT  SEED  will  be  more  or  less  changed.  You 
must  therefore  be  careful  not  to  permit  any  one  to  pick  or  meddle 
with  the  inoculated  fruit,  or  your  labor  will  be  lost.  Most  of  those 
hybridized  seeds  should  be  planted  in  moist  sand,  not  kept  wet,  but 
not  allowed  to  dry  out.  Apples,  pears,  strawberries,  mushy  small 
fruit,  and  hardy  stone  fruit  are  generally  treated  by  { '  stratification, ' ' 
that  is,  placing  them  in  layers  in  a  box  of  moist  sand,  with  a  cover 
that  will  exclude  the  mice  (for  mice  will  find  and  eat  every  one  of 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE).  && 

them  if  they  can  get  at  them).  They  are  then  placed  where  the  frost 
WILL  GET  AT  THEM  in  the  winter  and  may  freeze  them  solid.  In 
the  spring  they  are  taken  up  and  planted  in  a  border  where  they 
will  sprout  right  away. 

I  would  strongly  urge  flower-loving  ladies  to  practice  the  art. 
They  will  soon  become  expert,  and  the  enjoyment  will  be  unexcelled. 
They  can  practice  upon  their  house  flowers.  The  fuscia,  for  instance, 
is  of  a  very  simple  formation  and  well  adapted  to  practice  on ;  also 
the  tulip  and  gladiolus,  and  lily ;  afterwards  they  can  try  some  more 
complicated  flowers.  The  same  general  principles  apply  to  all.  The 
Salvia  Splendens  and  Salvia  Patens  have  a  great  promise,  the  Salvia 
Patens  being  the  finest  blue  in  the  floral  world  and  the  Splendens,, 
with  its  unmatched  brilliancy,  I  believe,  have  not  yet  been  tested  in 
this  way  and  promise  great  results. 

Nature  has  many  varied  and  interesting  methods  of  cross  fer- 
tilizing flowers;  some  by  the  action  of  the  wind  and  gravitation,  as 
in  the  corn  plant,  the  staminate  flower  being  produced  at  the  top  of 
the  plant  and  the  pistilate  lower  down.  When  the  polen  is  ripe  it  falls 
in  a  shower  on  the  receptive  pistils  (the  silk).  It  is  also  blown  about 
by  the  wind,  so  that  different  varieties  of  corn  planted  near  each 
other  get  "mixed"  and  the  seed  will  not  produce  the  true  type  of 
that  originally  sown.  The  cucurbits  (or  melon,  cucumbers,  squash, 
etc.)  have  the  same  tendency  to  "mix"  or  become  cross  polenized, 
they  having  the  staminate  and  pistilate  blossoms  on  the  same  plant, 
but  separate  from  another,  and  in  this  case  the  staminate  flowers 
vastly  outnumber  the  pistilate.  On  the  other  hand,  the  holly  has 
the  two  classes  of  flowers  on  different  trees,  and  the  tree  will  not 
bear  its  beautiful  scarlet  berries  unless  it  has  perfect  flowers  or  has 
a  staminate  flowered  tree  in  its  vicinity.  Some  plants  (such  as  the 
sweet  pea  and  others  of  the  same  family)  fertilize  themselves  before 
the  flower  opens,  and  consequently  do  not  get  "mixed,"  if  growing 
close  together.  This  is  important  to  the  hybridizer,  as  showing  the 
necessity  of  emasculating  the  flower  to  be  hybridized  before  they 
fully  open  to  prevent  self  fertilization.  Again,  some  fruit  have  not 
the  power  of  self  fertilization,  as  the  Bartlett  and  Beurre  d'Anjou 
pear.  A  remarkable  illustration  of  this  peculiarity  occurred  some 
years  ago  in  Oregon,  near  Salem,  where  a  gentleman  came  into 
possession  of  160  acres  and  began  to  cast  about  what  to  do  with  it. 
At  that  time  Oregon  apples  and  pears  had  a  high  reputation  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  and  he  interviewed  some  of  his  neighbors  who  had 


S$  f  HE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

commercial  orchards,  and  they  advised  him  NOT  to  have  many 
varieties,  but  have  enough  of  one  variety  to  produce  carload  lots  of 
fruit  of  a  kind.  This  was  good,  sound  advice,  as  far  as  it  went.  Our 
friend  studied  over  the  matter  and  found  that  most  of  the  orchards 
were  chiefly  given  over  to  apple  culture.  He  also  found  that  not 
very  many  pears  were  grown  in  his  vicinity,  and  that  pears  fetched 
a  higher  price  in  the  market  than  apples,  and  that  the  Bartlett  pear 
always  stood  at  the  head  of  the  market.  As  he  had  plenty  of  money 
to  enable  him  to  indulge  his  own  desires,  he  decided  to  plant  his  160 
acres  with  a  solid  block  of  Bartlett  pears.  Consequently  he  gave  a 
contract  to  a  local  nursery  man  to  furnish  and  plant  5,500  Bartlett 
pears,  which  was  accomplished  in  first-class  style.  It  was  a  picture 
to  see  those  trees  growing  in  rows  half  a  mile  long  and  as  straight 
as  a  line  could  make  them.  The  gentleman  took  the  greatest  pride 
in  his  pear  orchard,  keeping  it  well  cultivated,  not  allowing  a  weed 
to  grow  on  the  whole  quarter  section,  and  waited  for  the  time  for 
fruitage  to  come.  But  alas,  no  fruit  came,  and,  unlike  the  House  of 
Israel,  described  by  the  prophet  as  a  vineyard  that  brought  forth 
wild  grapes,  this  pear  orchard  did  not  even  bring  forth  wild  pears, 
but  was  utterly  barren  and  unproductive.  He  now  thought  it  well 
to  see  what  the  Agricultural  college  men  had  to  say  about  it,  which 
he  should  have  done  before  he  started  in.  The  first  question  asked 
by  the  professor  was : ' i  Were  there  only  Bartlett  pears  in  the  block  ? ' ' 
* '  Yes,  only  Bartlett  pears,  and  they  were  always  so  thrifty. "  '  *  There 
was  your  error.  The  Bartlett  pear  is  not  self  fertile  and  requires 
other  varieties  planted  in  close  proximity  to  fertilize  the  flowers." 
Consequently  he  had  to  dig  up  or  graft  over  a  large  number  of  the 
trees  and  plant  other  varieties. 

The  fig  is  an  example  of  a  very  interesting  peculiarity  in  fer- 
tilization. There  are  three  classes  of  fig  trees,  the  Capri  (or  wild  fig), 
growing  in  Symra;  the  fruit  bearing  fig,  growing  also  in  Smyrna, 
and  the  Adriatic.  There  is  a  peculiar  kind  of  wasp  that  breeds  in 
the  Capri  or  wild  fig,  and  unless  those  Capril  figs  at  the  proper  sea- 
son are  removed  and  hung  up  in  the  Smyrna  fig  tree  it  will  not  be  fer- 
tilized. The  Adriatic  fig,  not  having  any  Capril  figs  near,  cannot 
be  fertilized  and  only  produce  an  inferior  class  of  figs,  but  its  seed 
is  non-productive.  The  flowers  of  the  fig  are  inside  the  fruit,  and 
to  be  fertilized  the  wasp  crawls  in  and  fertilizes  them ;  consequently 
the  best  figs  in  the  market  are  (or  rather  have  been)  the  Smyrna 
fig.  In  California  in  the  early  days  the  mission  padres  imported  the 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


57 


inferior  Adriatic  figs.  Of  late  years,  however,  the  Capri  fig  and  its 
little  wasp  has  been  introduced  into  that  state,  and  now  the  produc- 
tion of  the  true  Smyrna  fig  is  an  accomplished  fact  in  California. 
The  California  Smyrna  fig  outranks  the  imported  variety. 

GRAFTING  AND  BUDDING. 

The  necessity  of  testing  the  result  of  our  hybridizing  as  soon  as 
possible  leads  up  to  the  subject  of  grafting  and  budding,  which  every 
horticulturist  should  understand  and  be  able  to  practice.  I  will 
now  describe  the  "modus  operandi"  thereof. 


Cleft  Grafting  Cion  for  Grafting 

Fig.  53  Fi&-  54 

Grafting  and  budding  are  modifications  of  the  same  process  and 
have  the  same  object  in  view,  that  is,  to  reproduce  a  variety  of  fruit 
or  flower  from  the  bud  of  one  already  in  existence.  Grafting 
is  of  several  varieties,  such  as  root  grafting,  crown  grafting,  whip 
grafting,  wedge  or  cleft  grafting  and  shield  grafting.  For  sub- 
urbanite's use,  however,  the  cleft  and  whip  grafting  are  the  only 
varieties  likely  to  be  practiced.  Root  grafting  is  done  in  the  winter, 
and  may  be  done  in  the  house  and  by  the  fireside  and  packed  in  a 
box  of  mx)ist  earth  and  kept  in  the  cellar  or  buried  till  the  spring 
and  then  planted  in  the  nursery.  In  the  case  of  the  apple, 
pieces  of  apple  roots,  about  four  to  six  inches  long  and  about  the 
thickness  of  a  lead  pencil,  are  secured  as  a  stock,  and  cions  of  the 
same  thickness  are  grafted  in  the  same  manner  as  whip  grafting, 
which  will  be  described  further  on.  It  is  chiefly  used  by  nurserymen 
for  propogating  large  quantities  of  nursery  stock  during  the  dormant 


§8  THE  SUfcUtHBANIfE'S  HANDfiObK 

season,  when  other  work  is  not  so  pressing,  and  several  pieces  of  root 
may  be  taken  from  the  same  tree.  While  crown  grafting  requires  a 
whole  root  for  one  graft  and  is  intended  to  be  set  below  the 
ground  where  the  cion  will  throw  out  roots  of  its  own  in  addition  to 
the  original  root  it  is  grafted  into.  The  cleft  grafting  is  done  in  the 
spring,  when  the  sap  begins  to  flow  in  the  stock,  the  cions  having 
been  cut  in  the  dormant  season  and  stuck  in  a  box  of  moist  soil  in 
the  cellar,  or  are  simply  stuck  in  the  ground  at  pruning  time, 
preferably  in  the  shelter  of  a  north  wall,  the  object  being  to  keep 
them  back  from  sprouting  till  after  the  stock  has  fairly  started. 
The  stock  is  cut  off  with  a  sharp  pruning  knife  or  shears,  and  taking 
a  sharp  chisel  and  malet  the  stock  is  split  sufficiently  to  allow  the 


Whip  Grafting 
Fig.  55 

cion,  after  it  has  been  cut  sloping  or  wedge  shaped,  to  be  inserted 
into  the  cleft  in  the  stock,  taking  care  that  the  cut  edges  of  the 
shaved  cion  are  accurately  adjusted  to  the  edge  of  the  bark  in  the 
stock.  Generally,  the  split  stock  will  hold  the  cion  sufficiently  secure 
without  tying.  The  whole  point  of  union  is  filled  up  and  covered 
with  grafting  wax  to  protect  the  recently  cut  portions  from  exposure 
to  wind,  water  or  sunshine  (see  cuts  illustrating  this  subject).  Some- 
times it  is  convenient  to  bind  up  the  joint  with  waxed  string,  de- 
scribed further  on.  Whip  grafting  is  used  for  small  branches  or 
young  seedlings,  where  the  cion  should  be  of  about  the  same  diameter 
as  the  stock.  Both  are  cut  slanting,  and  with  a  harp  knife  a  split  is 
cut  downward  in  the  stock,  commencing  at  the  middle  point  of  the 


OF  DWARF  FRUIt  f  REE  CULTURE.  5$ 

sloping  cut;  a  similar  split  is  made  upwards  in  the  cion,  and  both 
are  locked  in  each  other,  as  shown  in  cut,  taking  care  to  have  the 
inner  line  of  bark  of  each  in  accurate  adjustment  at  least  on  one  side. 
The  whole  length  of  the  joint  is  bound  tightly  with  waxed  string, 
the  cion,  with  only  one  sound  bud,  projecting  above  the  waxed 
wrapping.  In  the  cleft  grafting  it  is  well  to  put  in  two  cions,  one 
on  each  side,  and  after  they  have  fairly  started  to  grow,  one  shoot 
can  be  cut  off,  leaving  only  one  to  obtain  all  the  sap  and  strengthen 
its  growth. 

The  great  advantage  of  grafting  as  compared  with  budding  con- 
sists in  the  fact  that  if  from  any  cause  the  graft  fails  to  grow,  being 
done  in  the  early  spring,  one  can  bud  the  same  stock  in  the  summer 
and  save  the  loss  of  a  whole  season.  The  stone  fruits  are  generally 
better  adapted  to  budding.  Both  grafting  and  budding  are  equally 
adapted  to  floral  work  as  to  fruits. 

The  operation  of  budding,  although  for  the  same  purpose  as 
grafting,  is  distinctly  different  in  the  modus  operandi.  In  the  first 
place,  it  is  performed  in  summer  when  the  sap  is  in  full  flow  and 
when  the  bark  will  lift  freely  from  the  wood,  both  of  the  stock  and 
bud  stick.  The  process  is  simple,  however,  and  is  specially  useful 
in  training  dwarf  trees  to  secure  uniformity  and  a  balance  of 
growth.  For  instance,  in  training  Palmetto  forms  and  other 
fancy  shapes  we  are  often  hindered  by  side  shoots  not  starting 
where  we  desire  them,  insomuch  that  the  nursery  man  or  private 
cultivator  will  start  to  make  his  tree  of  a  particular  form,  when  the 
willful  little  thing  takes  the  notion  to  follow  its  own  sweet  will, 
regardless  of  consequences,  and  it  becomes  less  trouble  to  give  way 
and  let  it  take  its  own  natural  form  than  to  fight  it  out ;  nevertheless 
by  budding  we  can  enforce  the  growth  of  a  shoot  just  where  we 
desire  it  to  be.  This  will  be  apparent  from  the  cuts.  Sometimes  in 
growing  cordons  the  stems  fail  to  furnish  sufficiently  with  fruit 
spurs  and  we  can  then  put  in  one  or  more  buds  in  any  position  along 
its  stem. 

Having  selected  a  suitable  stock  for  budding,  it  is  necessary 
to  procure  sufficient  plump  buds;  these  are  generally  taken  of  the 
new  or  current  season's  growth  by  cutting  off  a  shoot  with  several 
buds  upon  it ;  this  is  called  a  ' '  bud  stick.  * '  Of  course  only  one  bud 
is  used  in  a  place,  but  as  many  may  be  inserted  as  we  find  suitable 
room  for.  We  now  select  a  smooth  spot  in  the  bark  of  young  wood 
and  cut  a  T  down  to  the  cambrium  or  sap  wood,  lift  the  bark  on 


60  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

both  sides  of  the  upright  cut,  then  we  take  the  ' '  bud  stick ' '  and 
selecting  a  plump  bud,  make  a  horizontal  incision  about  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  above  the  top  of  the  bud,  then  turning  the  bud  stick  with 
its  .top  pointing  downwards,  make  a  cut  beginning  one-fourth  to 
one-half  inch  below  the  base  of  the  bud  and  cut  upwards  and  deeper 
than  the  bud,  until  the  cut  meets  the  horizontal  cut  already  made 
and  a  little  shield  is  separated  with  a  square  top  and  the  bud  in 
the  center.  Sometimes  we  will  find  a  little  spicula  of  wood  still  ad- 
herent to  the  back  of  the  bud  with  a  little  ''nipple"  of  soft  wood 
entering  the  base  of  the  bud.  By  inserting  the  point  of  a  knife 
under  the  lower  end  of  this  wood  it  is  easily  lifted  free  from  the 
bark ;  some  times  it  will  stick  pretty  firmly.  It  is  a  mooted 
question  whether  it  is  best  to  remove  it;  some  do,  which 
is  the  English  system,  and  again  some  do  not,  which  is  the  Ameri- 
can. As  far  as  my  experience  teaches  I  do.  not  think  it  matters 
very  materially.  If  I  can  remove  it  without  injury  to  the  bark  of 
the  bud,  and  it  lifts  easily,  I  generally  take  it  away;  if  not,  I  leave 
it  in  its  natural  position  and  I  find  no  great  difference  in  the  result. 
We  now  have  a  little  shield  of  bark,  with  an  uninjured  bud  thereon, 
and  we  lift  up  the  flaps  of  loosened  bark  on  the  stock  and  slip  the  bark 
with  the  bud  on  under  the  loosened  bark,  being  careful  to  adjust  the 
upper  end  of  the  bark  shield  accurately  to  the  horizontal  cut  on  the 
stock.  THIS  IS  IMPORTANT.  Then  tie  the  bark  tightly,  both 
above  and  below  the  bud,  with  a  soft  string,  no  grafting  wax  being 
necessary.  It  is  well  if  possible  to  have  the  stem  of  the  leaf  attached 
to  the  bud,  only  clipping  off  the  expanded  part,  as  it  will  assist  in 
handling  the  bud  and  by  its  condition  in  a  few  days  will  show 
whether  the  bud  has  "taken"  or  not.  We  now  leave  the  bud  alone 
for  a  week  or  ten  days,  when  the  string  must  be  loosened  or  entirely 
removed. 

"The  reason  why"  will  give  an  intelligent  idea  of  the  process. 
In  grafting  the  work  is  done  in  the  spring  and  the  graft  grows  and 
is  nourished  by  the  ASCENDING  SAP.  While  in  budding  the 
work  being  done  in  summer,  the  new  bud  remains  dormant,  but  is 
nourished  by  the  DESCENDING  SAP  that  is  elaborated  in  the  leaves 
as  it  flows  downward  to  nourish  the  roots.  The  sap  flowing  between 
the  "cambrium"  (or  sap  wood)  and  the  inside  of  the  bark  shows 
the  necessity  of  having  the  inner  bark  of  both  stock  and  cion 
accurately  adjusted  to  facilitate  the  flow  of  sap  from  one  to  the 
other.  A  careful  study  of  the  accompanying  cuts  will  better  eluci- 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  61 

date  this  branch  of  my  subject  than  pages  of  letter  press,  and  here 
I  would  recommend  to  my  readers  to  take  advantage  of  any  oppor- 
tunity they  may  have  to  get  someone  knowing  how  to  show  them 
the  manipulation  of  the  process.  One  practical  example  will  be 
ample  instruction,  and  success  will  be  the  result  of  practice  and 
painstaking. 

GRAFTING  WAX  is  made  after  many  formula,  but  one  of  the 
best  is:  Take  of  tallow  1  oz.,  bees'  wax  2  oz.,  rosin  4  oz. ;  melt  all 
together  into  a  uniform  fluid  condition  by  stirring  and  pour  into 
cold  water;  when  cool  enough  to  handle,  having  first  greased  your 
hands,  pull  it  as  if  pulling  candy  until  it  attains  a  straw  color  and 
roll  into  convenient  stick,  when  it  will  harden,  and  keep  in  a  cool 
place.  When  requiring  to  use  it,  again  grease  your  hands  and  work 
it  up  until  sufficiently  softened,  and  press  it  with  your  fingers 
close  around  and  filling  all  crevices  about  the  point  of  junction  of 
stock  and  cion,  from  which  it  need  not  be  'removed  as  it  will  grad- 
ually wear  away  as  the  tree  grows. 

GRAFTING  CLOTH  is  more  convenient  in  many  ways  and  is 
made  by  tearing  strips  about  one  inch  wide  of  any  old  materials  at 
hand,  similar  to  rags  used  for  making  a  rag  carpet.  These  strips, 
however,  need  not  be  sown  together,  but  rolled  as  tape  or  a  bandage 
is  rolled,  the  end  of  one  piece  simply  overlapping  the  other.  When 
the  roll  is  sufficient  size  for  handling,  one  and  one-half  to  two 
inches  in  diameter,  the  free  end  of  the  last  strip  is  tied  loosely  on  the 
roll  with  a  thread  to  prevent  unrolling,  and  is  thrown  into  a  vessel 
of  hot  melted  grafting  wax,  where,  by  stirring  it  round  and  squeezing 
it  with  a  stick,  it  will  become  saturated  with  the  hot  wax  and  may 
be  taken  after  squeezing  out  excess  of  wax  and  laid  aside  to  cool. 
When  required  for  use  sufficient  of  the  strip  *>f  waxed  cloth  is  un- 
rolled and  wound  around  the  graft  in  a  spiral  manner,  each  turn 
overlapping  the  previous  one-half  or  one-quarter  inch,  when  the 
union  will  take  place  underneath.  As  the  branch  or  graft  <*rows, 
if  it  shows  any  sign  of  contraction  or  swelling  above  or  below  the 
wrapping  it  must  be  slackened  sufficiently  to  prevent  strangulation. 
The  importance  to  the  suburbanite  of  a  knowledge  of  budding  and 
grafting  will  be  seen  rrom  an  examination  of  the  various  forms  of 
training  dwarf  trees  shown  in  the  cuts.  Much  of  the  beauty  of 
those  trained  trees  depends  upon  the  success  gained  in  securing 
uniformity  and  balance  in  the  product,  especially  in  the  Palmetto 
and  Vernier  forms.  If  we  fail  to  secure  shoots  for  frame  of  tree 


62 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


exactly  where  desired,  the  tree  will  become  lop-sided  and  ungrace- 
ful, and  as  sometimes  these  trees  fail  to  put  out  shoots  exactly  in 
balance  we  can  secure  uniformity  by  inserting  one  or  more  buds 
just  where  required,  and  thus  "save  its  face/'  which,  without  the 
knowledge  of  grafting  and  budding,  we  would  be  compelled  to  rele- 
gate the  specimen  to  the  less  attractive  form  of  the  ordinary  bush 
in  a  "happy  go  lucky"  or  "hit  or  miss"  style.  Again,  in  case  of  fail- 
ure from  any  cause  of  one  of  these  trees  to  furnish  fruit  spurs  along 
the  stem  and  leaving  irregular  bare  spots  unfurnished,  we  can  amend 
the  fault  by  budding  where  required. 


Bush  tree  4  years'  old 

"Cox's  Orange  Pippin 

Fig.  56 


Pyrimid  in  October 

From  Photo 

Fig.  57 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  63 

DWARF  FRUIT  TREES  FROM  A  COMMERCIAL  FRUIT  GROW. 
ER'S  POINT  OF  VIEW. 

While  the  adaptability  of  dwarf  fruit  trees  to  the  suburbanite's 
requirements  is  now  an  established  fact,  its  applicability  to  the  con- 
ditions of  the  commercial  orchardist  is  still  open  to  controversy  and 
worthy  of  consideration.  While  the  suburbanite  may  have  little  or 
no  experience,  the  commercial  orchardist  knows  just  what  he  wants 
and  can  form  as  sound  an  opinion  for  himself  and  is  just  as  capable 
of  weighing  arguments  that  I  submit  as  I  am.  For  a  numbers  of 
years  I  have  been  a  commercial  orchardist  and  have  fought  the 
fruit  pests  in  every  available  manner.  I  remember  long  ago,  before 
fruit  pests  had  become  so  multiplied  and  spraying  was  invented, 
that  we  grew  fine  fruit  with  little  difficulty.  We  had,  of  course, 
the  codling  moth  and  the  curculio  and  a  host  of  other  fruit  pests, 
but  nothing  to  compare  with  the  present  condition  of  things,  and 
there  seems  to  be  little  show  of  improvement  with  all  our  advanced 
knowledge  and  extra  work.  What  we  want  is  to  be  able  to  reduce 
the  amount  of  work  and  make  what  is  absolutely  necessary  easier. 
We  require  to  reduce  the  size  of  our  trees  to  reduce  the  labor  of 
thinning,  spraying,  picking,  lessen  the  number  of  windfalls,  increase 
the  yield  of  fruit,  and,  above  all,  improve  the  quality  and  beauty 
of  our  fruit,  and  early  bearing  of  the  trees,  and  thereby  increase 
the  prices  and  profits  of  our  orchards.  Ml  these  objects  may  be 
attained  by  the  intelligent  adoption  into  our  system  of  orchard  man- 
agement of  the  use  of  dwarf  fruit  trees. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  beyond  question  that  the  dwarfing 
of  fruit  trees  has  the  effect  of  increasing  the  prolificacy  and  early 
bearing  as  well  as  the  size,  beauty  and  quality  of  the  fruit.  It  has 
been  found  that  these  apple  trees  dwarfed  on  Paradise  stock  will 
begin  to  bear  the  second  year  from  the  bud,  sometimes  even  the 
first  year,  and  by  the  fourth,  will  frequently  bear  one  bushel  or 
more  of  choice  apples.  It  must  be  remembered  that  these  little  trees 
may  be  planted  only  four  feet  apart,  and  under  some  circumstances 
even  less;  they  may  be  taken  up  and  moved  from  place  to  place, 
and  from  time  to  time,  without  interrupting  their  fruit  bearing.  The 
following  is  a  report  of  an  experiment  in  growing  apples  dwarfed 
on  Paradise  stock  to  establish  their  yield  in  England:  j 

Apple  tree  planted  (a  Warner's  King). 

1871— Planted  a  "maiden"  tree. 


64 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


1872 — Bore  three  apples,  first  year. 

1873 — Bore  I1/*?  peck,  second  year. 

1874— Bore  2  peck,  third  year. 

1875 — Bore  4  peck  (1  bushel),  fourth  year. 

1876— Bore  6  peck  (iy2  bushels),  fifth  year. 

1877— Bore  7  peck  (1%  bushels),  sixth  year. 

Total  in  first  six  years  20l/2  peck  (5  bushels). 

Now  in  view  of  these  figures  let  us  make  a  comparison  between 
one  standard  apple  tree  and  a  block  of  Paradise  dwarfs,  occupying 
the  same  space.  We  will  say  a  standard  apple  tree  (to  do  its  best 
work)  should  be  planted  40  feet  apart,  that  is  requiring  1,600  square 
feet  or  27  trees  to  the  acre,  while  the  Paradise  trees  are  2,  3,  4,  6  or  9 
feet  apart,  according  to  the  style  adopted.  Let  us  take  as  a  basis 


$  if 


Standard  Apple  Trees  planted  40  feet  apart  require  1600  feet  area  and  be- 
gin to  bear  in  6  or  8  years.  While  64  Bush  Trees  may  be  planted  on  same 
1600  feet  and  begin  bearing  the  2d  year  from  planting.  After  Thornton. 

Fig.  58 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  65 

for  comparison,  Paradise  trees  at  4  feet  apart.    That  is,  the  standard 
apple  trees  occupies  a  space  of  1,600  square  feet  and  the  Paradise  16 
feet.    Or,  theoretically,  100  Paradise  trees  will  fit  on  the  same  area 
of  ground  as  one  standard  apple  tree ;  this  is,  however,  impracticable, 
as  roadways  must  be  provided  for  attending  to  the  trees  properly 
(see  cut) .    We  will  therefore  be  reasonable  and  plant  four  rows  four 
feet  apart  on  each  side  of  an  eight-foot  roadway,  making  40  feet 
each  row  would  then  contain  eight  trees,  making  64  trees  for  the 
block  of  40  feet  square  and  leaving  an  eight-foot  roadway  through 
the  middle  of  the  plot ;  this  would  be  equal  to  1,628  trees  to  the  acre, 
not  counting  fractions,  with  proportionate  roadway  space.    A  little 
practical  figuring  upon  the  basis  of  the  foregoing  table  of  the  actual 
yield  of  these  little  trees  will  give  some  startling  results.     We  find 
that  one  of  these  bush  trees  yielded  in  six  years  over  five  bushels 
of  apples,  or  320  bushels  from  the  trees  occupying  the  space  of  one 
standard  apple  tree  THAT    HAD    NOT    YET    BEACHED   THE 
BEARING  AGE;  consequently  as  only  27  apple  trees,  at  40  feet 
apart,  fit  on  one  acre,  8,640  bushels  of  apples  could  be  produced 
from  one  acre  (not  counting  fractions)  of  dwarf  apple  trees  in  six 
years  from  planting  and  BEFORE  ONE  ACRE  OF  STANDARDS 
PLANTED  AT  THE  SAME  TIME  HAD  COME  INTO  BEARING. 
These  dwarf  trees  would  continue  bearing  increasing  quantities  of 
fruit  for  15  or  20  years  longer,  when  the  orchardist  could  well  afford 
to  dig  them  up  and  plant  fresh.     The  generality  of  standard  apple 
trees  require  five  or  six  years  to  BEGIN  bearing;  the  bush,  on  the 
contrary,  beginning  to  bear  the  second  year  and  steadily  increasing 
its  crop  till  10  years  old  and  continuing  to  yield  steadily  maximum 
crops  till  20  or  25  years  old.    On  the  other  hand  the  standard  tree 
may  be  expected  to  gradually  increase  till  from  15  to  20  years  it 
will  yield  about  three  barrels  (nine  bushels)  per  tree  per  year;  from 
this  time  until  the  trees  begin  to  fail  from  old  age,  the  annual  yield 
will  be  under  15  bushels.    These  are  average  figures  for  well  cared- 
for  trees,  and  allowing  for  off  years,  poor  years,  and  poor  trees,  or 
badly  pruned  or  moss-bound  trees,  will  not  do  so  well.    The  standard 
tree  will  bear  for  50  years,  and  it  will  average  for  good  and  bad 
years  10  bushels  a  year,  or  500  bushels  in  all.     This,  I  think,  is  a 
liberal  estimate  for  one  standard  tree  on  40  feet  square  of  land. 
Compare  the  above  with  the  Paradise  apple,  or,  rather,  64  of  them, 
for  that  number  of  trees  may  be  grown  on  the  same  area  of  land  as 
one  standard  tree.    One  dwarf  Paradise  apple  bush,  as  we  have  seen. 


66  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


will  bear  at  an  average  1%  bushels  a  year,  or  31%  bushels,  which 
multiplied  by  64  (the  number  of  trees  on  the  40  feet  square  allowed 
for  the  standard  tree)  will  give  2,400  bushels.  Allow  mar- 
gins to  suit  yourself.  Of  course  we  will  have  the  same 
standard  tree  bearing  for  another  25  years,  but  we  will 
only  have  to  wait  for  four  years  to  plant  another  lot  of  64  trees, 
and  have  them  catch  up  and  pass  the  old  standard  and  repeat  the 
experience  which  we  can  very  well  afford  to  do.  But  this  is  not  all, 
for  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  dwarf  apples  are  superior  in 
size,  beauty,  quality  and  selling  price  to  those  grown  on  standard 
trees,  and  every  apple  on  these  little  bushes  is  within  reach  of  one's 
hand  from  the  ground  and  may  be  thinned  without  difficulty  ;  there 
are  no  windfalls  to  amount  to  anything  ;  the  work  of  spraying  is  re- 
duced to  a  minimum.  You  all  know  what  a  tiresome  job  it  is  gazing 
up  to  the  sky  looking  for  tent  caterpillars'  eggs  on  a  40-foot  tree, 
while  the  same  is  only  pastime  on  those  small  bushes.  No  packing  of 
awkward  ladders  in  pruning  time,  or  climbing  trees  in  picking  time. 
Of  course  64  trees  require  more  attention  than  one  and  cost  more  for 
a  start,  but  the  work  is  light  in  character  and  such  as  any  boy,  girl 
or  woman  can  do,  and  most  of  it  a  real  pleasure.  Anyhow,  who 
would  begrudge  the  work  when  the  returns  are  so  liberal.  In  the 
above  comparison  my  remarks  referred  to  the  dwarf  apple  in  the 
bush  form,  and  as  profitable  even  as  it  shows  up  with  bushes  at  four 
i'eet  apart  or  occupying  16  square  feet  each,  how  much  better  results 
may  be  expected  if  we  use  cordons  either  upright  or  oblique  or 
U  form,  which  may  be  planted  in  rows  four  to  six  feet  apart 
and  only  two  feet  apart  in  the  row,  occupying  eight  to  twelve 
feet  in  area,  and  yet  are  individually  as  productive  as  the 
bushes  —  or  nearly  so.  In  this  case,  instead  of  64  trees 
occupying  the  area  of  one  standard  tree,  we  would  have  96; 
or  instead  of  1,628  bush  trees  per  acre,  we  would  have  4,224  oblique 
or  upright  cordons.  These  figures  may  be  astounding,  but  no  more 
than  if  we  compare  the  old  stage  coach  with  railway  trains  of  the 
present  day,  or  comparing  the  old-fashioned  plough  with  the  up-to- 
date  steam  plough,  or  the  reaping  hook  with  our  best  harvesters. 
Our  little  dwarf  fruit  trees  offer  the  same  gigantic  stride  in  advance 
in  the  horticultural  field,  combined  with  intensive  culture.  Nor  is 
there  anything  visionary  in  the  statements,  as  they  are  established 
facts,  though  not  yet  exploited  to  the  same  degree,  but  will  be  in 
the  near  future,  when  we  secure  the  irresistable  combination  of  grit, 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  67 

money  and  knowledge  duly  harnessed.  Of  course  intensive  develop- 
ment of  the  dwarf  fruit  tree  idea  is  more  costly  both  to  start  in  the 
outset  and  in  its  subsequent  exploitation  than  the  ordinary  commer- 
cial orchard,  but  in  view  of  the  enormously  increased  returns  of 
profit  this  condition  cuts  no  figure  as  all  advances  in  industrial  lines 
are  subject  to  the  same  condition.  There  is,  however,  in  this  horti- 
cultural advance  the  great  advantage  that  it  works  as  well  on  the 
limited  area  of  the  40  feet  square,  or  the  acre,  as  it  does  on  the  100 
acres,  being  merely  a  question  of  capital.  The  labor  question  which 
has  been  a  bugbear  to  the  horticulturist,  may  be  worth  consideration, 
but  is  by  no  means  difficult  to  any  one  who  bases  his  every  day 
business  on  the  golden  rule.  The  increase  of  labor  required  under 
this  system  is  really  very  insignificant  as  compared  with  the  returns, 
and  will  follow  the  industrial  experience  in  other  lines  of  industry. 
The  present  supply  of  labor  is  inadequate  because  the  pay  and  treat- 
ment of  labor  is  unsatisfactory  to  the  laborer.  When  the  typesetter 
was  introduced,  many  worthless  or  indifferent  printers  lost  their  job, 
but  the  better  class  were  promoted  to  the  machines  with  better  pay. 
So  with  other  industries,  but  great  adverse  influences  existed.  The 
captains  of  industry  put  up  the  prices  to  "all  the  traffic  would 
bear,"  while  they  cut  the  wages  to  all  the  laborer  would  bear;  on 
the  other  hand,  the  trades  union  is  started  in  "to  kill  the  goose  that 
laid  the  golden  eggs"  by  restrictive  regulations,  etc.,  both  parties 
being  antagonistic  to  the  golden  rule.  Under  present  conditions  the 
margin  of  profit  to  the  orchardist  is  so  narrow  and  the  supply  of 
RELIABLE  LABOR  so  scanty,  the  question,  How  to  help  matters? 
is  pressing,  the  answer  will  be  found  in  adopting  the  dwarf  fruit  tree 
culture,  which  will  enable  us  to  so  materially  improve  the  workman's 
condition,  that  he  will  so  speak,  quit  the  union  and  "paddle  his  own 
canoe."  In  this  connection  the  story  of  the  Westinghouse  Com- 
pany's experience  in  England  is  very  instructive.  The  Westing- 
house  Company  is  a  celebrated  American  firm  of  world-wide  reputa- 
tion. They  had  occasion  to  establish  a  gigantic  factory  in  England, 
one  requiring  the  use  of  several  million  bricks  in  its  construction. 
At  the  start  they  found  themselves  "up  against"  the  builders' 
trade  union,  wrho  would  not  permit  their  bricklayers  to  lay  more 
than  400  bricks  in  one  day.  The  Westinghouse  Company  with  Amer- 
ican strenuosity  nevertheless  started  the  work,  not  only  giving 
higher  wages  than  other  builders  were  giving,  but  added  premiums 
and  bonuses  in  accordance  with  the  quality  of  the  work  performed, 


68  THE  SUBURBANTIE'S  HANDBOOK 

giving  the  shirkers  and  inefficient  men  immediate  discharge.  The 
result  was,  as  might  have  been  expected,  the  union  tried  bluffing 
and  boycott,  but  it  would  not  work,  and  the  men  finding  they  were 
treated  with  strict  justice  and  liberality,  ignored  the  union.  Good 
men  were  favored  and  drones  hunted;  walking  delegates  were  not 
admitted  to  the  works;  the  good  men  put  in  their  best  work,  and 
from  laying  only  400  bricks  a  day,  as  at  the  start,  soon  achieved  the 
laying  of  900  bricks  per  day  as  the  ordinary  day's  work.  Let  us 
see  now  in  what  position  the  commercial  orchardist  stands  to  meet 
the  labor  question,  depending  entirely  on  standard  trees  or  substitut- 
ing in  whole  or  in  part  the  dwarf  trees.  We  have  seen  that  a  stand- 
ard apple  tree  will  average  for  50  years  10  bushels  a  year,  and  the 
cash  returns  will  be  less  than  an  average  of  50  cents  a  bushel,  or  $4 
per  tree ;  27  trees  to  the  acre  gives  $108  per  acre.  With  dwarf  trees 
we  have  64  bushes  or  96  cordons  on  40  feet  square  of  land  that  will 
yield  for  25  years  an  average  of  96  to  144  bushels  per  year  from 
the  same  40  feet  square  of  land.  While  the  standard  apples  averaged 
40  cents  a  bushel,  these  dwarf  apples,  being  so  much  superior  in 
appearance  and  quality  will  reach  an  average  of  $1.50  or  more  per 
bushel,  consequently  will  return  $144  to  $216  per  40  feet  square,  or 
multiplied  by  27,  will  net  $3,888  to  $5,892  per  acre.  Again  strike 
your  own  margin.  With  such  a  showing  we  could  afford  to  give 
our  workmen  a  rate  of  wages  beyond  their  wildest  imagination,  and 
steal  the  labor  union's  thunder.  The  very  best  of  men  would  be 
tumbling  over  one  another  in  competition  to  secure  such  employment, 
and  when  they  were  lucky  enough  to  obtain  it  would  shrink  from  no 
effort  to  retain  it  permanently. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


69 


*  # 

* 

* 

*  3 

K  * 
* 
* 

X  p< 

*  •* 

# 

*  * 

*  * 

A 

* 

X 
* 


*-**fc**>4*** 


M    >     #     * 


X     * 
*     * 


*  * 
if  * 
* 
# 

* 


X     * 


*  * 

*  * 


*  X 

*  *. 
5k 

X 
x     * 

*  * 

* 

*  * 


X     * 

*     * 


*  * 

*  > 


X 

:&    * 
*•    * 


*  * 
X      AT 

* 

*  * 

*  * 


*  j»    *  *  y    *  * 

*  x  ^  f 

•tf  *  ''r^  x 

*  *      X  X  *      #  * 

*  X     #  X  *    *  * 


:*: 


*  *    x  *•  *  5t  x 

*  *     *  •*  *  x  -* 

*  *     •*  #  K  *  # 
K     •*     Jt  *  X  *  -* 

>  * 


^     * 


*     X     ^ 


*  y    *    x    * 

*  * 
*   ^n    *  * 

*y##*5******* 


fc      ^       ^/Ov\         ^       ^         ^^        y: 

*v?«x    )t-»-*^ry 
^••XAyx^r»y> 

^y      n^j.***^*^ 
X#      *^*X^>»X)f* 

3d    *******    arl 


Commercial  Orchard.     One  acre  with  40  standard  Apple  Trees  33 
ft.  apart  and  486  Bush  Trees  as  fillers 

Fig.  59 


70  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

Fig.  59  shows  another  style  of  orchard  planting,  where  dwarf 
trees  are  used  as  ''fillers"  in  COMBINATION  WITH  standards. 
In  this  place  standard  apple  trees  are  planted  two  rods  apart  (33 
feet),  which  allows  40  standards  to  the  acre,  and  in  ADDITION  480 
dwarfs  on  Paradise  stock  are  planted  eight  feet  apart,  as  shown.  In 
this  plan  each  33  feet  square  is  supposed  to  be  divided  into  quarters 
and  three  dwarfs  planted  in  each  square,  omitting  the  corner  next  to 
the  standard,  leaving  them  without  a  dwarf.  On  this  place  no  roads 
are  repaired  as  the  trees  are  eight  feet  apart,  which  allows  carts  and 
sprayers  to  be  freely  moved  anywhere  among  the  trees. 

Now  just  here  comes  the  progressive  American  with  iconoclastic 
tendencies  (that  is  me),  and  looking  over  the  plan,  says:  "What  is 
the  good  of  these  standard  trees,  anyhow?  Why  not  dig  them  out 
and  fill  their  places  with  160  additional  dwarfs,  making  640  trees  to 
the  acre  ? ' '  By  so  doing  we  will  be  changing  the  dwarf  system  from 
a  "COMBINATION  AS  FILLERS"  into  a  "DIRECT  COMPETI- 
TION" with  the  standard  plantation.  The  standards  are  a  nuisance 
anyway,  requiring  intolerable  labor  and  cost  for  pruning,  spraying, 
pest  fighting,  thinning  and  harvesting  the  fruit,  not  to  mention  the 
waste  from  windfalls,  overbearing  and  the  impossibility  of  complete 
protection  from  infectious  diseases  and  insect  enemies,  as  well  as  the 
long  years  of  delay  in  waiting  for  them  to  reach  a  profitable  stage 
of  production  and  the  lower  grade  in  size,  quality,  beauty  and 
market  value  of  the  fruit  produced,  as  compared  with  the  dwarf 
trees.  These  latter  have  practically  no  loss  of  fruit  from  windfalls, 
and  all  the  cultural  manipulations,  while  requiring  to  be  performed 
with  due  care  and  at  the  proper  time,  are  so  much  reduced  in  labor- 
ousness  as  really  to  be  classed  as  a  pastime  and  interesting  occupa- 
tion; but  above  all  the  early  maturity,  large  size,  high  quality, 
beauty  and  prolificacy  as  well  as  the  higher  market  price  of  the  fruit, 
raises  them  far  above  comparison  with  the  effete  standards. 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


71 


72  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

Having  thus  introduced  the  subject  of  DIRECT  COMPETI- 
TION as  a  stage  in  advance  of  mere  "CONNECTION  AS  FILL- 
ERS," let  us  look  into  its  capabilities  a  little  more  in  detail.  Fig. 
60  shows  a  COMPETITIVE  plan  for  laying  out  a  dwarf  tree  or- 
chard or  garden.  Here  we  take  a  piece  of  suitable  land,  165x264  feet, 
which  equals  one  acre  of  43,560  feet,  and  lay  out  three  eight-foot 
roadways,  as  shown,  dividing  the  plot  into  four  one-quarter  acre 
lots,  each  being  41*4  feet  wide  and  264  feet  long.  Right  here  comes 
the  first  question  to  be  decided  regarding  the  style  of  trees  to  be 
planted  and  the  distance  apart.  We  have  bushes  at  four  by  four  feet 
apart,  and  oblique,  upright  and  U  shaped  cordons  to  select  from. 
Let  us  compare  the  merits  of  each.  With  bushes  at  four  by  four  feet 
apart  we  could  plant  eight  rows  in  each  quarter  acre,  with  66  bushes 
in  each  row.  That  would  allow  528  bushes  to  the  quarter  acre,  or 
2,112  bushes  to  the  full  acre.  These  would  come  into  bearing  the 
second  year,  and  by  the  fourth  year  one  bushel  per  bush  might  fairly 
be  expected ;  that  would  be  about  5%  bushels  in  the  first  four  years 
from  planting,  or  11,616  bushels  per  acre ;  and  observe  here  that  an 
orchard  of  standard  trees,  planted  at  the  same  time,  would  hardly 
show  a  solitary  apple,  although  there  might  be  40  of  them  on  the  acre. 

Now  let  us  consider  oblique  and  upright  cordons,  which  amount 
to  about  the  same,  the  oblique  having  25  per  cent  more  bearing  wood 
than  the  upright  cordons.  The  cordons  may  be  planted  two  by  four 
feet  apart.  There  would  still  be  eight  rows  four  feet  apart  in  each 
quarter  acre,  but  only  two  feet  apart  in  the  rows,  or  132  cordons 
in  each  row ;  we  would  thus  have  4,224  cordons  to  the  acre,  and  would 
practically  bear  the  same  quantity  as  the  bushes  above  described,  or 
4,224  bushels  the  fourth  year,  or  23,232  bushels  in  the  first  four  years. 

This  is  almost  beyond  belief,  but  is  merely  the  result  of  in- 
tensive culture,  a  system  as  yet  only  in  its  infancy.  Wonderful  as 
the  above  results  may  appear,  the  next  plan  will  double  up  the  yield. 
Instead  of  planting  bushes  or  plain  cordons  we  advance  a  step  and 
plant  U  shaped  cordons  (see  Fig.  60).  We  just  double  the  bearing 
wood  on  the  same  number  of  trees.  U  cordons  being  planted  at  two 
by  four  feet  apart.  This  last  proposition  I  leave  you  to  figure  out 
for  yourselves,  and  yet  that  does  not  reach  the  limit  by  any  means, 
for  we  may  further  intensify  intensive  culture  by  planting  those 
cordons  at  only  18  inches  apart  in  the  row,  which  may  be  safely 
accomplished.  But  I  must  stop  here  or  my  readers  will  think  I  am 
"giving  them  a  pipe  dream."  I  will  therefore  only  repeat  here  the 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  ?$ 

words  of  St.  Paul  when  Festus  said,  "Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself. 
Much  learning  doth  make  thee  mad."  He  replied,  "I  am  not  mad, 
most  noble  Festus ;  but  I  speak  forth  words  of  truth  and  soberness. " 

Fig.  60  illustrates  this  very  clearly.  It  is  meant  to  represent 
a  portion  of  one  acre  (cut  off  to  fit  on  the  page.)  It  represents  165 
feet  wide  and  if  carried  out  to  full  length  264  feet  long;  in  it  are 
the  three  eight-foot  roadways,  thus  dividing  into  four  one-quarter 
acre  tracts;  on  the  left  is  shown  a  tract  planted  in  upright  cordons 
at  two  by  four  feet  apart  of  4,224  trees  per  acre.  Next  comes  a  tract 
devoted  to  bushes  at  four  by  four  feet  apart,  or  2,112  trees  to  the 
acre.  Next  we  have  a  tract  with  globe  or  goblet  form  bushes,  which 
are  a  little  more  spreading  and  as  set  at  eight  by  eight  feet  apart,  or 
528  trees  per  acre;  and  on  the  extreme  right  we  have  the  U  form 
cordon  with  the  same  number  of  trees  as  the  upright  cordons,  and 
occupying  the  same  space,  BUT  WITH  JUST  TWICE  THE 
AMOUNT  OF  BEARING  WOOD ;  and  if  need  be,  you  can  intensify 
this  intensive  culture  by  25  per  cent  by  planting  those  upright  cor- 
dons 18  inches  apart  in  the  row  instead  of  two  feet. 

Naturally  it  may  be  asked  here,  "If  these  facts  have  been  known 
in  Europe  for  ages,  why  have  they  not  been  commercially  exploited 
there  ? ' '  Well,  it  is  easy  to  ask  questions  but  not  always  so  simple  a 
matter  to  answer  them  satisfactorily.  I  will,  however,  give  a  scrap  of 
history  connected  with  an  analogous  case  that  may  point  to  the 
answer:  Over  one  hundred  years  ago  there  was  a  man  who  went 
out  to  play  with  his  boys  and  show  them  how  to  fly  a  kite,  when  a 
thunder  storm  came  along  and  the  kite  string  got  wet  and  thus  be- 
came a  good  conductor  of  electricity,  and  he  found  the  current  of 
electricity  was  conveyed  from  the  cloud  to  earth  along  the  wet 
string.  This  was  Benjamin  Franklin.  The  fact  was  established  and 
duly  proven,  but  remained  unutilized  for  many  years,  when  another 
man  with  his  head  screwed  on  differently  came  along  and  viewing 
the  conditions,  brought  his  imagination  to  bear  and  said,  "Why 
can  Jt  we  stretch  insulated  wires  to  conduct  the  electricity  from  place 
to  place  and  utilize  it  where  required?"  and  he  stretched  his  wires 
and  sent  the  celebrated  message  from  Baltimore  to  Washington, 
"What  hath  God  wrought?"  This  was  Morse  with  his  knowledge, 
imagination  and  faith,  and  since  that  time  we  have  had  the  electric 
telegraph  in  operation  and  exploited  almost  to  the  limit  of  possibility. 
When  another  man  comes  along  with  more  knowledge,  more  faith 
and  greater  imagination,  with  head  screwed  on  in  an  opposite  direc- 


$4  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

tion  to  that  of  Morse  and  says.  "Why  not  take  those  wires  away 
altogether  and  send  our  electricity  to  make  it  own  path  through 
space?"  This  was  a  superhuman  effort,  and  this  was  the  immortaJ 
Marconi.  He  established  a  dispatching  station  at  one  side  of  the 
Atlantic  ocean  and  a  receiving  station  on  the  other  side,  with  3,OOG 
miles  of  ocean  between,  having  his  skilled  assistant  at  the  dispatching 
station  with  instructions  to  keep  sending  a  message  consisting  of 
the  crooked  little  letter  S  and  keep  on  till  he  received  further  in- 
struction, while  he,  the  immortal  Marconi,  stationed  himself  at  the 
other  station  to  await  results.  At  the  time  appointed  both  were  on 
duty,  when  Marconi  felt  (if  he  did  not  fully  realize  it)  that  there  was 
some  influence  being  exercised  on  his  instrument,  indefiinite,  uncer- 
tain, but  as  the  dispatcher  kept  on  repeating  the  letter  S  its  symbol 
flickered  and  wavered  till  at  last  the  finger  of  God  traced  that  letter 
S  in  the  sight  of  Marconi  as  clearly  and  distinctly  as  that  same  finger 
of  God  in  long  ages  gone  by  traced  the  fatal  MENE  MENE  TEKEL 
UPHARSIN  on  the  walls  of  Balschazer's  banquet  hall,  and  we  had 
the  wireless  telegraph  an  established  fact  through  the  knowledge, 
faith,  and  above  all,  the  imagination  of  Marconi  under  God's  supreme 
blessings. 

Now  compare  our  dwarf  fruit  question  with  the  above  scrap  of 
history  and  note  the  resemblance.  None  of  those  developments 
added  anything  to  the  inherent  powers  of  electricity  They  already 
existed  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  simply  were  un- 
recognized, and  the  men  their  heads  screwed  on  in  the  right  direction 
to  see  the  glorious  vista  spread  before  them  and  the  imagination  to 
appreciate  it  had  not  yet  come.  So  with  the  dwarf  fruit  tree  ques- 
tion. More  than  1,000  years  ago  the  Japanese  gardeners  became 
aware  of  the  possibilities  of  dwarfing  fruit  trees.  Hundreds  of 
years  later  the  system  was  practiced  in  Europe.  Fruit  growing  was 
practiced  from  the  days  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  the  industry 
grew  up  in  the  long  courses  of  the  ages,  line  upon  line,  precept  upon 
precept,  here  a  little  and  there  a  little,  till  we  reached  the  present 
state  of  commercial  orchardizing.  When  a  man  comes  along  with  his 
head  screwed  on  in  the  proper  direction  to  see  the  glorious  vista 
opening  before  him  of  the  future  of  dwarf  fruit  tree  culture  and 
blessed  with  the  imagination  to  realize  it  in  all  its  detail  and  practical 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  and  although  75  years  of  age,  with  mental 
activity  sufficient  to  carry  out  his  investigation  in  spite  of  the  silly 
vaporing  of  Dr.  Ossler,  who  thinks  men  should  be  narcoticized  with 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  75 

eternal  sleep  at  50  years  of  age.  And  now  I  have  personal  knowledge 
of  the  various  stages  and  advances  of  fruit  culture  from  the  planting 
of  an  apple  or  pear  bud  in  the  corner  of  a  fence  to  the  advanced 
intensive  orchard  culture  with  both  standard  and  ''fillers."  When 
the  comparison  between  the  standard  and  the  dwarf  fruit  trees  in 
actual  and  direct  competition  comes  up,  I  give  my  decision  in  favor  of 
the  dwarf  trees  every  time  for  those  who  will  make  them  a  hobby. 

Among  the  simple  questions  that  are  hard  to  answer  I  am  here 
reminded  of  one  in  connection  with  fruit  trees  that  is  very  curious. 
Twenty-five  years  ago  the  apple  tree  tent  caterpillar  used  to  lay 
their  eggs  in  a  circle  around  the  terminal  twigs  and  after  the  leaves 
fell  they  were  clearly  visible  to  the  naked  eye  and  easily  removed, 
and  in  some  localities  the  orchardist  was  in  the  habit  of  removing 
them  by  bucketsfull  and  burning  them,  and  not  one  lot  in  10,000 
would  be  placed  otherwise  than  in  a  circle  as  above.  In  the  course 
of  years,  however,  as  the  fight  became  more  strenuous  between  the 
orchardist  and  the  moth,  Mrs.  Moth  learned  the  trick  of  plastering 
the  eggs  in  a  flat  layer  on  the  upper  side  of  the  branch,  where  they 
were  invisible  to  the  orchardist  from  the  ground.  Any  experienced 
and  observant  orchardist  will  corroborate  this  statement.  Simple 
question :  How  did  Mrs.  Moth  learn  this  trick?  I  do  not  know,  unless 
Mrs.  Moth  in  some  way  became  acquainted  with  Whitcomb  Riley's 
celebrated  refrain, 

THE  GOBLIN 

WILL  GIT  YE 

IF  YE  DON'T 

WATCH  OUT! 

This  discussion  on  the  adaptability  of  dwarf  fruit  trees  to  the 
uses  of  the  commercial  orchardist,  either  in  connection  with  standard 
trees  as  fillers  or  direct  competition  with  them  under  intensive 
culture  may  be  epitomized  with  advantage  as  follows : 

Fruit  trees  have  from  the  beginning  been  subject  to  certain 
laws  and  conditions  and  the  ignorance  of  such  laws  and  conditions 
throughout  the  ages  in  no  way  justifies  the  denial  of  their  existence. 
Just  as  in  the  case  of  electricity,  the  inherent  power  of  electricity 
existed  from  the  beginning,  though  Morse  and  Marconi  did  not  come 
to  exploit  them  till  the  Nineteenth  Century — nevertheless  they 
always  existed. 

Many  discoveries  have  been  made  regarding  dwarf  fruit  trees 
that  are  now  established  facts  fully  proven  and  undisputable.  Many 


76  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

other  facts  have  not  yet  been  fully  demonstrated,  but  that  is  no 
reason  to  claim  they  are  fallacious,  but  merely  that  they  require 
further  investigation  and  practical  experiment  to  fully  develop  their 
full  force. 

Of  the  many  facts  already  fully  established  and  beyond  cavil 
are  the  following : 

First — Ordinary  fruit  trees  are  susceptible  under  certain  treat- 
ment to  the  dwarfing  process. 

Second — The  dwarfing  process  has  the  power  of  reducing  the 
size  of  the  trees,  so  that  they  may  be  planted  at  distances  of  9x9, 
8x8,  4x4,  2x4  feet  apart,  and  even  less. 

Third — That  the  dwarfing  of  fruit  trees  hastens  their  maturity, 
causing  them  to  come  into  bearing  in  two  years,  and  frequently  the 
first  year  from  the  bud  or  graft. 

Fourth — Dwarfing  also  has  the  effect  of  increasing  the  yield  of 
fruit,  enlarging  and  beautifying  the  fruit  both  in  color  and  quilty 
and  enlarging  its  size. 

Fifth — From  the  small  size  of  the  trees  and  their  adaptability 
to  training  in  various  fancy  forms  they  are  especially  adapted  for 
use  in  suburban  lots  or  small  patches. 

In  addition  to  this  all  the  cultured  manipulation  from  the  nature 
of  the  case  are  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  such  operation  as  train- 
ing, thinning  the  fruit,  spraying,  destroying  insects,  pests  and  dis- 
eases, gathering  the  fruit  and  pruning,  can  all  be  done  while  standing 
on  the  ground  without  the  use  of  ladders  or  climbing  the  trees. 

These  are  all  well  established  facts  and  fully  settle  the  question 
of  adaptability  for  suburbanite's  use.  The  above  facts  also  settle  the 
question  of  their  adaptability  for  use  in  commercial  orchards  as 
"fillers"  to  secure  early  and  profitable  crops  of  fruit  while  waiting 
for  the  large  standard  trees  to  come  into  bearing. 

When  we  come,  however,  to  the  question  of  full  competition 
with  the  large  standard  trees  there  are  some  facts  and  data  that 
require  further  elucidation,  not  because  favorable  conditions  do  not 
exist,  but  merely  that  we  have  not  yet  exploited  them  sufficiently 
for  practical  purposes. 

Among  those  questions  the  most  important  probably  is  the 
securing  reliable  data  of  the  yield  of  dwarf  trees  when  planted 
'  *  en  bloc ' '  by  the  acre  for  commercial  purposes.  As  I  am  not  aware 
of  any  extensive  experiments  having  been  made  to  settle  this  ques- 
tion and  consequently  a  reasonable  conservative  caution  would  teach 


OP  DWAJRF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  77 

the  wisdom  of  going  slowly  at  this  stage,  but  at  the  same  time  the 
acknowledged  merits  of  those  dwarf  trees  are  amply  sufficient  to 
justify  any  progressive  orchardist  in  testing  the  question  on  a  limited 
area  for  his  own  satisfaction,  and  I  am  now  planning  a  series  of 
practical  tests  to  secure  reliable  data  upon  this  very  important 
phase  of  the  subject  and  I  expect  the  results  will  far  surpass  the 
wildest  imagination  of  the  most  optimistic  orchardist,  for  no  one 
has  yet  reached  the  limit  of  the  results  possible  to  obtain  from  in- 
tensive culture  of  any  crop.  Many  years  ago  Orange  Judd  of  the 
American  Agriculturist  gave  a  prize  for  the  largest  crop  of  potatoes 
to  be  grown  on  one  acre,  and  if  I  recollect  rightly,  I  think  there  were 
720  bushels  from  one  measured  acre  in  the  prize  crop,  while  the 
ordinary  potato  crop  for  the  United  States  does  not  reach  to  more 
than  100  to  150  bushels  per  acre,  and  I  expect  to  see  in  the  near 
future  (when  the  dwarf  fruit  trees  come  into  actual  competition 
with  the  old  and  effete  style  of  standard  trees)  the  experience  of 
the  potato  grower  far  surpassed  by  the  up-to-date  dwarf  fruit  tree 
orchardist. 

In  the  foregoing  I  think  I  have  made  a  fair  comparison  and 
have  been  fairly  conservative  in  my  figures,  and,  I  trust,  have  made 
the  subject  sufficiently  plain  for  the  reader  to  arrive  at  an  intelligent 
idea  on  the  subject.  I  think  I  have  shown  sufficiently  valid  reasons 
to  justify  an  unprejudiced  trial  of  the  two  systems  subject  to  your 
own  conditions.  Far  be  it  from  me  to  recommend  you  to  rush  into 
this  work  wildly,  but  go  to  work  conservatively  and  try  a  few 
dwarf  trees  to  make  sure  you  are  right  and  then  go  ahead  for  ail 
there  is  in  it.  I  will  tell  you  frankly  at  the  first  word  that  if  you 
are  a  slack  handed  fruit  grower  you  had  better  let  dwarf  fruit  trees 
alone,  but  if  on  the  other  hand  you  will  take  an  interest  in  the  work 
you  will  soon  regard  these  little  bushes  as  little  pets,  and  watch  their 
progress  and  development  under  your  guilding  care,  and  will  grow 
fonder  and  prouder  of  them  year  by  year.  In  such  case  they  will 
amply  repay  all  your  efforts  and  prove  a  grand  success  outside  of 
any  pecuniary  return.  So  far  I  have  considered  the  two  systems 
as  opposed  to  one  another  and  have  not  touched  on  the  combination 
of  the  two.  This  is  a  very  important  phase  of  the  question  and 
worthy  of  careful  consideration.  We  know  that  in  starting  a  com- 
mercial orchard  of  standard  trees  we  require  to  wait  five  or  ten 
years  to  reach  the  bearing  age,  but  what  are  we  to  do  for  a  profitable 
return  in  money  from  the  land  in  the  meantime?  The  practice  has 


78  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

been  to  plant  potatoes,  corn  or  other  crops  between  the  trees,  but 
this  is  not  always  advisable  as  the  crops  rob  the  young  trees  at  the 
very  time  they  require  all  the  nourishment  within  their  reach. 
Here  comes  in  the  advantage  of  dwarf  trees  as  " fillers,"  being 
planted  at  the  same  time  as  the  standards  they  begin  to  bear  at  two 
years  and  yield  profitable  crops  continuously  long  before  the  stand- 
ards yield  any  return.  The  doucin  and  crab  stock  are  most  suitable 
for  this  purpose,  and  may  be  trained  as  half  standards.  The  mere 
mention  of  this  subject  will  be  enough  to  draw  the  orchardist's  atten- 
tion to  its  value  and  importance. 

The  commercial  orchardist,  while  familiar  with  ordinary  fruit 
trees,  may  not  have  had  his  attention  drawn  to  this  subject  of  dwarf 
trees,  and  may  be  desirous  of  more  detailed  information.  I  would 
refer  them  to  the  first  part  of  this  handbook. 

It  has  been  found  by  long  experience  that  some  varieties  the 
different  fruits  respond  better  to  the  dwarfing  process  with  the  result 
of  producing  a  far  higher  quality  of  fruit  than  others,  consequently 
the  European  experts  have  made  lists  of  selected  varieties  of  fruit 
that  will  afford  the  greatest  satisfaction  to  the  grower.  One  of  these 
lists  I  append.  There  are  many  other  varieties  which  may  be  substi- 
tuted for  them  without  much  disadvantage,  but  one  must  draw  the 
line  somewhere  and  the  high  reputation  of  this  list  has  been  estab- 
lished by  good  judges. 

LIST  OF  TWENTY-EIGHT  BEST  APPLES  FOR  DWARFING. 

(In  their  order  of  ripening.) 
(C)  for  Culinary.     (D)  for  Dessert. 

Summer  Apples. 

MR.  GLADSTONE— August   (D).  DEVONSHIRE     QUARENDEN  —  August 

BEAUTY  OP  BATH— August  (C).  (D). 

IRISH    PEACH— August    (D).  KESWICK    CODI.IN— August    and    Sep- 

tember   (C). 

Autumn  Apples. 

POTT'S  SEEDLING — September  (C).  WORCESTER  FE  ARM  AIN— August  and 

EMPEROR   ALEXANDER — September  September    (D). 

to  November,  KING-    OF    PIPPINS — October    to    Janu- 

CEIiINI — October  and  November  (C).  ary   (D). 

STIRLING  CASTIE— October  and  No-  COX'S    ORANGE    PIPPIN  —  October    to 

vember  (C).  February    (D). 

ECHLINVILLE     SEEDLING — October  PEASGOOD     NON-SUCH  —  October    to 

to  January  (C).  January   (D). 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  79 


WABNEB'S   KING — October  to  Janu-    HAWTHOBNDEN — October   to    January 
ary   (C).  (C). 

BED  ASTBACAN — August  and  Septem- 
ber  (D). 


Winter  Apples. 


GOLDEN   NOBLE— October   to   March     BLENHEIM     OBANGE  —  November     to 

(C).  February  (D). 

BISMARCK— November    to     February      MANWINGTON'S     PEARMAIN— Novem- 

(C).  ber  to  March  (D). 

BRALILEY'S  SEEDLING — December  to    CLAYGATE   PEABMAIN —  November  to 

March    (C).  March  (D). 

GASCOIGNE    SEEDLING  —  November      COURT     PENDU    PLAT  —  December    to 

to  March   (C).  May    (D). 

ALFRISTON— November  to  April  (C).     CORNISH     GILLIPLOWEB  —  December 
NEWTON    WONDER  —  November    to         to  April 

May   (C).  DUKE  OF  DEVONSHIRE— December  to 

May    (D). 

BEST  PEARS. 

Early  Summer  Pears. 

BEUBBE  GIFFABD— End  of  July.  JARGONELLE— July    (Wall). 

CLAPP'S  FAVOBITE— August.  BABTLETT— August  and  September. 

Autumn  Pears. 

DTJBONDEAIT  (DE  TONGERS — October.  FITMASTON    DTTCHESSE— October    and 
LOUISE  BONNE  DE  JERSEY — October.     November. 

Late  Summer  Pears. 

BEUBBE    D'AMINLIS— September.  JEBSEY   GRATIOLI— September  and  Oc- 

MABGUEBITE    MARILLAT — Septem-          tober. 

ber-  BEUBBE    SUPEBPIN  —  September    and 

October. 

Winter  Pears 

DOYENNE   DU  COMICE-— November.  JERSEY  CHAUMONTEZ.,  November  and 

BUEBBE    DIEIi    (ROYAL) — November  January. 

and    December. 

MABECHAI.    DE    LA    COUB— October  OLIVIER  DE   SERRES— March. 

and  November.  JOSEPHINE    DE    MALINES  —  January 

MABIE  LOUISE — October  and  Novem-  to  March. 

ber. 


Best  Baking  Pears 


BELLE    DE    JERSEY— November   to     CATILL AC— December  to  March. 
May. 


80 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


BEST  SIX  PEACHES. 


EARLY    ALEXANDER— July. 
NOBLESSE — August  and  September. 
ROYAL    GEORGE— August   and   Sept. 


KALE'S   EARLY— July. 

GROSSE   MIGNONNE— September. 

PRINCESS   OF   WALES— September. 


BEST  SIX  NECTARINES. 


EARLY  RIVERS— August. 
ADVANCE — August. 
LORD    NAPIER — August. 


MOORPARK. 


KIRKE'S  PLUM. 
VICTORIA. 
GREEN  GAGE. 
MONARCH. 


STANWICK    ELRUGE — End    Of    August. 
FITMASTON  ORANGE — September. 

PINEAPPLE— September. 


BEST  APRICOTS. 

HEMSKIRK. 

BEST  PLUMS. 


ROYAL. 


GOLDEN  DROP. 
POND'S  SEEDLING. 
JEFFERSON. 


BEST  CHERRIES. 


BLACK  BIGARREAU. 
EARLY  RIVERS. 
MAT  DUKE. 
WHITE  HEART. 


ROYAL  ANNE. 
BLACK  TARTARIAN. 
STRANG  LOGIE. 
NOBLE. 


FIGS. 


BROWN   TURKEY. 


WHITE    MARSEILLES. 


GOOSEBERRIES. 


CROWN    BOB. 

LANCASHIRE    LAD. 

RIFLEMAN. 

WARRINGTON. 

iAM'S    INDUSTRY. 


GOLDEN  DROP  (or  Early  Sulphur). 

VICTORIA. 

KEEPSAKE. 

MAY  DUKE. 

WHITE    SMITH. 


CURRANTS. 


COMET    (New). 
RED  DUTCH. 
RABY    CASTLE. 
RED   VERSAILLAISE. 
FAY'S  PROLIFIC. 


WHITE  DUTCH. 
BLACK   NAFIES. 
BLACK    CHAMPION. 
LEE'S  PROLIFIC. 


The  following  list  of  selected  dozens  of  apples  for  special  quali- 
ties may  be  of  interest  to  persons  wishing  to  plant  choice  varieties  for 
exhbition  purposes: 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  Si 


Large  Size. 

ALFRISTON.  LORD    SUFFIELD. 

BISMARCK.  MERE   DE   MENAGE. 

BRAMLEY  SEEDLING.  MONSTREUSE    INCOMFARABL] 

ECXLINVILLE    SEEDLING.  FEASGOOD'S    NON-SUCH. 

EMPEROR    ALEXANDER.  POTT'S    SEEDLING. 

GLORIA  MTTNDI.  WARNER'S    KING. 


Bright  Color. 


BISMARCK.  HOLLANDBURY'S   ADMIRABLE. 

CELINEE.  LADY    HENNIKER. 

COX'S    POMONA.  MERE    DE    MENAGE. 

DEVONSHIRE    QUARENDEN.  RED  ASTRACHAN. 

EMPEROR   ALEXANDRE.  THE    QUEEN. 

GASCOIGNE'S  SCARLET.  WORCESTER  PEARMAIN. 

Fine  Flavor. 

ALLINGTON.  IRISH    PEACH. 

BLENHEIM    ORANGE.  KING   OP   THE   PIPPINS. 

CORNISH    GILLIFLOWER.  MARGIL. 

COX'S    ORANGE    PIPPIN.  MR.    GLADSTONE. 

DUKE    OP    DEVONSHIRE.  RIBSTONE  PIPPIN. 

GOLDEN    PIPPIN.  ROYAL   RUSSSET. 

Heavy  Crops. 

ALFRISTON.  KESWICK     CODLIN. 

BISMARCK.  LANE'S  PRINCE  ALBERT. 

CELINEE.  LORD    SUFFIELD. 

DEVONSHIRE    QUARENDEN.  -      POTT'S   SEEDLING. 

ECKI.INVII.IiE    SEEDLING.  STIRLING    CASTLE. 

HAWTHORNDEN.  WORCESTER  FEARMAIN. 

I  will  here  make  an  extract  from  Mr.  P.  Le  Cornu's  work  on 
cordon  fruit  trees  that  may  be  of  interest.  The  cordon  system  of 
growing  fruit  trees  as  adopted  in  the  Royal  Garden  at  Sandringham 
Palace,  is  now  becoming  very  popular,  and  deservedly  so,  for  by  no 
other  means  can  the  same  quantity  of  fine,  highly  flavored  fruit  be 
produced  in  any  given  space.  Apples,  pears  and  plums  succeed  as 
cordon,  but  more  especially  the  former.  Pears  are  also  very  profit- 
able when  grown  in  this  manner  and  produce  an  abundance  of  fruit 
of  larger  size  and  better  quality  than  that  which  is  grown  on  pyra- 
mids, or  ordinary  wall  trees.  For  the  following  reasons  I  hold  that 
this  is  the  best  of  all  systems  and  firmly  believe  it  would  be  adopted 
by  many  more  if  they  only  knew  the  advantages  which  are  to-  be  de- 
rived from  it. 


W  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

Fruit  of  the  Largest  Size  and  Quality — Only  one  rod  or  stem 
having  to  be  supported,  all  the  fruit  borne  is  of  the  largest  size  and 
beat  quality. 

Wall  or  Espalier  Covered  in  a  Short  Time— A  wall  or  espalier 
can  be  covered  with  trees  in  less  than  a  third  of  the  time  occupied 
in  covering  it  with  fan-trained  or  other  trees. 

Trees  Bear  Younger  and  Give  Heavier  Crops— The  trees  treated 
in  this  way  turn  to  bearing  much  younger  and  produce  double  the 
crops  which  could  be  expected  from  a  single  tree,  covering  the  same 
•pace. 


Upright  Cordon  Apples,  2  14  ft.  apart,  in  bearing — After  Le  Cornu 

Fig.  61 

Walls  Never  Entirely  Bare — If  one  tree  dies  it  can  easily  be  re- 
placed, whereas  with  a  fan-trained  or  other  large  tree  part  of  the 
wall  is  left  entirely  uncovered  for  years. 

Summary  of  Reasons — To  sum  up  in  a  few  words.  By  no  other 
means  can  trees  be  so  quickly  made  fruitful.  The  second  season  most 
of  the  cordons  paid  the  cost  of  their  purchase  many  times  over. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  83 

THESE  REASONS  SPEAK  FOR  THEMSELVES. 

He  says  further,  in  speaking  of  his  profitable  cordon  fruit  gar- 
den (See  cut  above)  :  "The  walls  surrounding  the  illustration  of 
the  profitable  garden,  show  clearly  the  leading  features  of  this  sys- 
tem. Single  cordon  trees  with  a  quantity  of  fruit  spurs  already  on 
them  should  be  procured  of  apples  on  Paradise  stock  and  pears  on 
the  quince.  These  should  be  planted  at  an  angle  of  40  degrees  to 
50  degrees,  according  to  the  height  of  the  wall,  about  16  to  18  inches 
apart  from  one  another.  IN  NO  CASE  SHOULD  THEY  BE 
PLANTED  AT  A  GREATER  DISTANCE,  as  the  roots  would  have 
too  much  room  for  development  and  would  cause  the  trees  to  run  to 
growth  instead  of  forming  fruit  spurs.  I  find  it  more  convenient  to 
stretch  horizontal  wires  along  the  walls  at  about  every  foot  instead 
of  tying  in  the  trees  with  nails  in  the  old-fashioned  way,  taking  care 
to  keep  the  wire  three  inches  away  from  the  wall,  so  that  the  spur  at 
the  back  of  the  stem  of  the  cordon  may  have  room  to  develop.  Fruit 
growers  who  are  not  the  happy  possessors  of  walls  need  have  no  dif- 
ficulty in  growing  large  fruit  without  this  expensive  adjunct,  for 
with  the  cordon  system  on  wires  magnificent  apples  and  pears  may 
easily  be  grown. 

The  lines  of  wire  are  made  fast  to  terminal  pillars,  five  to  seven 
feet  high  at  each  end  with  intermediate  pillars  at  every  ten  or  fifteen 
feet,  the  whole  being  tightened  by  means  of  raidisseurs  or  stiffeners. 
The  pillars  may  be  made  of  wood  or  iron.  If  the  former,  they  should 
be  made  like  an  inverted  cross  and  tarred  or  painted  to  preserve 
them.  Iron,  owing  to  its  lasting  properties,  is  really  the  cheapest  in 
the  end.  All  my  pillars  formerly  were  of  wood,  but  have  now  been 
entirely  replaced  by  iron  work.  After  much  thought  to  the  subject. 
I  have  adopted  the  system  here  illustrated,  which  for  rigidity  cannot 
be  beaten  (See  cut  No.  27).  When  convenient  the  rows  of  cordons 
should  be  placed  north  and  south,  so  that  the  sun  may  ripen  the  fruit 
on  both  sides  of  the  trees. 

The  Horizontal  Cordons — Are  usually  planted  as  an  edging  to 
garden  paths,  and  in  this  way  they  make  very  handsome  objects  and 
occupy  very  little  space.  Double  horizontal  cordons  occasionally  be- 
come unequal  in  strength,  hence  I  always  recommend  single  cordons, 
planted  to  follow  one  another  in  one  direction.  A  line  of  wire  should 
be  stretched  15  or  18  inches  above  ground.  The  cordons  should  then 
be  planted  (apples  in  preference)  at  every  six  or  eight  feet,  and  then 


84 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


be  made  fast  to  the  wire  in  such  a  manner  that  the  part  which  is 
below  the  wire  may  be  perfectly  perpendicular,  after  which  the  re- 
mainder of  the  stem  should  be  carefully  bent  down  and  tied  full 
length  to  the  horizontal  wire.. 


Diamond  Garden  Fence 
Fig.  62 

Diamond  Fence  Patterns  (see  garden  cut) — Double  cordon  ap- 
ples should  be  planted  for  this  purpose  at  18  inches  apart.  One  of 
the  branches  should  be  trained  to  the  right  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees, 
and  one  to  the  left  at  the  same  angle,  the  two  forming  togethr  a  per- 
fect right  angle,  and  as  the  trees  grow  the  leading  branch  should  be 
trained  in  a  direct  line  until  the  desired  height  is  attained.  This  will 
form  a  very  picturesque  and  in  many  cases  a  very  useful  fence  or 
partition  between  two  parts  of  the  garden.  A  wire  fence  will  be  re- 
quired the  same  as  in  the  oblique  system,  and  the  distance  between 
the  wires  should  be  so  regulated  that  the  line  of  wire  may  pass  ex- 
actly behind  the  crossing  of  the  branches,  forming  the  corners  of  the 
diamonds. 

Upright  Perpendicular  Cordons  (for  very  high  walls  and  arches) 
— Are  recommended  for  arches,  and  when  walls  are  at  least  15  or  20 
feet  high  and  as  the  sap  has  always  a  tendency  to  flow  upward  it  will 
be  necessary  to  shorten  the  leader  back  each  season  in  order  to  de- 
velop the  fruit  spurs  along  the  stem.  The  varieties  of  apple,  pear  and 
plum  best  adapted  for  cordons  are  those  that  have  close-eyed  and 
short  jointed  wood.  For  cordon  plums  the  soil  should  be  as  poor  as 
possible.  Lime  rubbish  and  rubble  of  any  kind  may  be  mixed  freely 
with  the  soil  in  planting  and  no  manure  whatever  should  be  employed 
except  in  the  poorest  of  soil.  Lifting  these  occasionally  will  prove 
very  beneficial. 

Having  given  an  English  expert's  instructions  in  the  art  of 
dwarfing  trees,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  quote  from  a  Japanese 
source  the  instructions  they  issue  to  their  customers  and  note  how 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE. 


85 


Upright  Cordon  Gooseberries.     Only  9  inches 
between  the  plants.    After  Philip  Le  Cornu 

Fig-  65 

closely  they  agree  with  the  English  practice,  although  they  were  ex- 
perts in  the  art  of  dwarfing  trees  centuries  before  the  English  horti- 
culturists ever  heard  of  the  subject.  To  such  perfection  have  they 
brought  the  art  that  dwarf  trees  of  over  400  years  growth  in  pots  are 
to  be  seen  at  the  present  day,  sound  and  healthy,  still  growing  in 
pots. 

Treatment  of  Thuja  Obtusa  (a  variety  of  the  Arbor  Vite) — Dur- 
ing spring  and  summer,  by  preference,  keep  this  plant  in  a  sunny, 
airy  situation  where  the  wind  will  pass  freely  through  the  branches, 
water  once  a  day,  giving  just  enough  to  make  the  soil  moist ;  in  dry, 
hot  weather  it  may  be  necessary  to  give  water  twice  a  day,  care,  how- 
ever, being  taken  not  to  have  the  soil  wet,  and  never  water  unless  the 
plant  needs  it.  Watering  overhead  in  dry  weather  is  bad,  but  rain  is 
always  beneficial. 


86 


THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


During  winter  keep  the  tree  in  a  cool  green  house,  partially 
shaded  or  in  an  unheated  orangery,  giving  water  about  once  in  10 
days;  the  soil,  however,  must  never  be  allowed  to  get  dry.  (The 
secret  of  successful  culture  of  all  plants  in  pots,  consists  in  judicious 
watering,  giving  too  much  or  too  little  is  equally  bad.  Maples  and 
other  deciduous  trees  (such  as  fruit  trees)  take  the  same  treatment 
as  Thuja  as  regards  watering,  but  are  much  more  accommodating 
than  evergreens.  In  fairly  mild  climates  the  maples  may  remain  out- 


Pear  Tree,  "Madam  Treyve,"  Sept. 

Goblet  form  with  8  branches,  10  years  old,  6  fL 

high,  ii  ft.  circumference,  with  138  fruits 

Fig.  66 

of-doors  all  winter,  but  where  the  frost  is  very  severe  they  should  be 
kept  in  a  cellar  after  the  leaves  have  fallen  in  autumn.  The  soil  must 
always  be  kept  moist  but  not  wet.  Early  in  spring  put  the  plant  out 
of  doors  and  fully  exposed  to  all  weathers,  and  when  in  full  leaf  use 
for  decoration  in  doors  as  needed. 

Manuring — When  the  trees  commence  growing  in  the  spring,  we 
give  manure  twice  a  month,  say  March,  April,  May  and  June,  again 
in  September  and  October.  In  the  hot  days  of  July  and  August  we 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  dULf  URE.  Jtf 

give  no  manure,  and  the  same  in  winter  and  spring,  the  plants  then 
being  at  rest;  the  best  manure  is  finely  powdered  oil  cake  OP  bone 
meal.  To  a  jardinier  one  foot  in  diameter  we  give  three  or  four  large 
teaspoonsful,  not  heaped,  of  this  dry  manure,  spread  evenly  round  the 
edge  of  the  jardinier — a  larger  or  smaller  jardinier  will  require  more 
or  less — for  a  small  jardinier,  say  three  by  six  inches,  half  a  teaspoon- 
ful  will  be  ample  each  time. 

Repotting — This  is  done  by  us  once  in  two  or  three  years,  as  fol- 
lows :  Lift  the  plant  out  of  the  jardinier  and  with  a  sharp  pointed 
stick  remove  about  one-third  of  the  old  soil  around  the  edge  and  bot- 
tom, cutting  away  a  portion  of  the  old  fine  roots,  but  none  of  the 
strong  roots,  then  replace  the  plant  in  the  same  jardinier,  first  look- 
ing to  the  drainage.  For  a  small  shallow  jardinier  we  use  a  flat  piece 
of  stone  or  a  flat  crock  over  each  hole ;  over  this  we  spread  some  rich, 
fresh  soil  to  within  half  an  inch  of  the  rims ;  this  holds  the  water  and 
prevents  the  manure  being  washed  over  the  sides  of  the  jardinier; 
also  the  soil  should  be  made  sufficiently  tight  around  the  edges  of  the 
jardinier  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  water,  it  being  of  the  first  im- 
portance that  all  the  ball  of  soil  around  the  plant  be  moistened  at 
each  watering.  Should  the  watering  of  the  plant  at  any  time  be 
neglected  and  the  soil  become  quite  dry,  put  the  jardinier  in  a  tub 
of  water  for  10  or  15  minutes— NOT  LONGER— and  if  the  injury  is 
not  too  serious,  the  plant  will  recover.  In  the  case  of  large  plant* 
we  use  hollow  crocks  for  drainage,  the  same  as  used  by  growers  of 
specimen  plants.  After  several  repottings  the  plant  having  increased 
in  size,  shift  into  a  larger  pot,  but  as  dwarfness  is  the  thing  aimed  at 
the  smaller  the  shift  the  better.  Repotting  should  be  done  in  Febru- 
ary or  March,  just  before  spring  growth  commences. 

Pruning — To  maintain  dwarfness  in  trees,  pinch  back  the  young 
growth ;  this  we  usually  do  from  April  to  the  middle  of  June,  and 
always  with  the  finger  and  thumb.  Flowering  peach  and  flowering 
cherry,  etc.,  we  pinch  back  to  non-flowering  shoots  either  before  or 
after  blooming ;  in  July  and  August  we  pinch  back  all  young  growth, 
leaving  only  four  or  five  leaves  on  each  shoot.  Maple  and  other  de- 
ciduous trees  are  pinched  back  in  the  same  manner,  leaving  two  to 
four  leaves,  as  may  be  necessary  to  maintain  the  proper  shape  of  tht 
plants.  Should  a  second  growth  be  made  the  same  rule  is  followed 
of  pinching  out  the  points. 

It  will  be  noticed  here  the  great  similarity  between  the  European 
and  the  Japanese  practice  of  dwarfing  trees,  and  yet  it  must  b«  »e- 


88  "THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

membered  that  while  the  European  system  dates  back  a  few  cen- 
turies, the  Japanese  goes  back  a  millenium  or  more. 
•-,,:'..  The  Japanese  dwarfs,  when  compared  with  the  European  dwarf 
potted  trees,  show  a  very  distinctive  difference  in  that  the  roots  are 
in  large  measure  above  the  soil  and  exposed  to  the  air.  This  is  be- 
cause in  addition  to  their  instructions  for  potting  there  is  one  manip- 
ulation they  carefully  guard  as  a  trade  secret,  and  that  is :  Each  year 
when  they  repot  the  trees  they  plant  the  tree  very  slightly  shallower 
th.an  it-  was  the  year  before,  and  although  in  young  trees  this  is 
hardly  apparent,  in  the  course  of  years  it  becomes  emphasized  and 
gives  the  tree  the  appearance  of  growing  on  stilts.  Among  the  fancy 
forms  of  trained  trees  the  Japanese  gardener  keeps  in  stock  are  *  *  The 
Stork"  .(a  favorite  fancy  figure  with  them),  "The  Turtle,"  "The 
Chicken,"  "The  Booster,"  and  "The  Hen,"  "The  Junk  Full  Rig- 
ged,'' and  offer  customers  to  train  trees  to  any  design  they  may  order. 
Of  course  there  is  no  practical  advantage  in  these  fancy  forms  except 
fun  and  fancy  .for  the  grower,  and  to  enjoy  that  pleasure  one  had 
better,  exercise  their  own  ingenuity  to  do  that  work  for  themselves. 

SPRAYING  AND  FRUIT  PESTS. 

"  This  being  intended  as  a  hand-book  for  instruction  of  suburban- 
ites who  have- little  or  no  practical  experience  in  the  details  of  or- 
chard work ;  it  would  be  incomplete  without  some  reference  to  this 
very  important  detail. 
.    During  the  past  few  years  the  fruit  pests  have  greatly  increased 

-in  number  and  variety  and  at  the  same  time  our  knowledge  about 
them  and  the  means  of  combating  them  has  also  increased.  The 

c means  at  our  disposal  for  this  warfare,  while  efficient,  must  be  used 
%ith  energy  and  intelligence.  To  this  end  we  must  acquaint  our- 
selves with' the  nature  and  habits  of  these  enemies  and  must  there- 
fore classify  them.  First  we  have  two  principal  divisions.  Insects 
and  fungi.  The  insect  pests  may  be  divided  into  those  that  feed  by 
biting  the  fruit  and  leaves  and  those  that  live  by  suction;  the  other 
division  is  in  the  form  of  vegetable  and  bacterial  enemies.  The  biting 
insects  are  poisoned  by  arsenicals  sprayed  on  the  fruit,  leaves  and 
l)ranehes.  This  spraying  business  is  of  the  utmost  importance,  and 
like  some  political  parties  voting,  must  be  done  "early  and  often." 

'•'  As  the  result  of  spraying  is  perfectly  successful  in  exact  proportion 
to  the  care  and  thoroughness  with  which  it  is  done,  consequently  it 
will  be  both  labor  and  money  wasted  if  performed  in  a  slipshod  man- 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  89 

ner.  The  spraying  outfit  consists  of  a  receptacle  for  holding  the 
chemicals,  which  should  be  constructed  of  brass,  copper  or  wood,  and 
the  pump,  which  must  also  be  made  of  brass  or  bronze,  as  no  other 
metal  will  stand  the  corrosive  action  of  the  chemicals;  there  is  also 
required  a  rubber  hose  and  a  spraying  nozzle.  Spraying  outfits  are 
manufactured  in  great  variety,  from  the  brass  garden  syringe  and 
wooden  stable  bucket  to  the  elaborate  power  machines,  driven  by 
gasoline  motor  engines  and  tanks  of  several  hundred  gallons  capac- 
ity, and  capable  of  spraying  two  or  four  trees  at  one  time.  As  there 
are  cheap  sprayers  on  the  market  made  of  tin  I  will  in  this  place  add 
an  emphasized  DON'T,  DON'T,  ever  purchase  a  tin  spray  pump,  for 
it  would  rot  out  after  the  first  use  of  Bordeaux  mixture.  Your  spray 
pump  MUST  BE  either  brass  or  bronze.  As  the  suburbanite  will  only 
have  a  few  trees,  and  dwarfs  at  that,  a  very  modest  outfit  will 
answer  his  requirements.  The  simple  wooden  stable  bucket  with 
brass  hand  sprayer  is,  of  course,  the  simplest,  and  is  fairly  efficient 
where  only  a  small  space  and  low  growing  plants  require  treatment. 
The  knapsack  sprayer  is  a  very  convenient  style  for  suburbanite's 
use.  It  is  worn  like  a  knapsack  and  is  supplied  in  two  styles,  one 
with  direct  action  pump  and  the  other  has  the  fluid  forced  through 
the  nozzle  by  atmospheric  pressure.  Both  are  good,  reliable  imple- 
ments and  give  satisfaction  to  those  using  them.  As  the  foregoing 
require  to  be  moved  by  hand  from  place  to  place,  they  are  to  some 
extent  inconvenient.  To  avoid  this  difficulty  one  has  been  introduced 
on  the  principle  of  a  barrel  cart,  which  may  be  trundled  about  the 
garden  with  greater  facility.  It  is  needless  here  to  refer  to  the  large 
outfits  operated  by  horse  or  motor  engine  power  as  they  are  un- 
adapted  to  use  in  restricted  areas.  Having  decided  on  the  style  of 
tank  for  holding  and  carrying  the  fluid,  we  come  to  consider  the 
style  of  pump,  and  here  I  may  say  there  is  no  "BEST"  pump.  All 
that  are  now  on  the  market  are  capable  of  doing  fair  work;  that 
pump  is  the  most  useful  that  throws  the  fluid  with  the  greatest  force 
and  with  the  expenditure  of  the  least  labor.  It  is  the  force  with 
which  the  fluid  is  driven  through  the  nozzle  that  secures  the  fineness 
of  the  spray,  which  should  be  like  a  cloud  or  mist.  We  now  come  to 
a  very  important  element  of  the  spraying  outfit,  that  is  the  nozzle. 
There  are  nozzles  and  nozzles  (ad  infinitum).  As  some  nozzles  are 
liable  to  become  clogged  with  little  grains  of  lime,  a  provision  con- 
sisting of  a  movable  pin  has  been  added  in  order  to  clear  away  any 
obstruction.  Of  this  kind  is  the  Bordeau  nozzle.  The  Vermorel  is  a 


$0  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

very  favorite  pattern,  but  so  many  changes  have  been  made  (some 
useful,  others  of  no  importance)  that  one  is  compelled  to  fall  back 
on  first  principles.  Any  nozzle  in  which  the  fluid  enters  the  nozzle 
chamber  at  one  side  and  whirls  around  right  angles  to  the  outlet 
hole,  before  being  forced  out,  should  do  the  work.  Having  procured 
our  outfit  we  are  up  against  the  question :  What  are  we  to  do  with  it  ? 
We  had  better  here  fall  back  on  the  first  principles.  We  must  use 
it  with  energy,  in  the  right  manner  and  at  the  right  time.  Remember 
that  ONE  thorough  spraying  when  required  is  worth  a  dozen  careless 
attempts.  As  many  of  the  materials  used  in  fighting  fruit  pests  are 
highly  poisonous  the  greatest  care  should  be  taken  to  keep  all  sub- 
stances used  for  spraying  where  they  will  be  safe  from  animals,  chil- 
dren and  meddlers.  And  all  such  materials  should  be  correctly 
labelled. 

Solutions  and  mixtures  contain  copper  sulphate,  corrosive  subli- 
mate and  arsenate  of  lead,  should  be  made  in  wood,  glass  or  earthen 
vessels. 

Arsenical  sprays  should  not  be  applied  to  fruits  within  two 
weeks  of  the  time  they  are  to  be  used  as  food. 

Trees  should  not  be  sprayed  when  they  are  in  blossom. 

Familiarize  yourself  with  the  habits  and  appearance  of  the  vari- 
ous fruit  pests  and  the  best  treatment  for  their  eradication. 

FUNGICIDES  AND  INSECTICIDES. 

These  consist  of  quite  a  variety  of  mixtures,  some  used  in  liquid 
form  as  sprays,  come  in  dry  form  as  powders  by  dusting,  some  in 
gaseous  form  in  fumigations,  and  some  combined  fungicides  and  in- 
secticides, so  as,  if  possible,  to  kill  two  enemies  with  one  shot. 

Bordeaux  Mixture — Is  the  first  and  one  of  the  best  fungicides 
adopted  for  controlling  fungus  diseases.  It  has  long  been  known  that 
the  various  salts  of  copper  were  destructive  to  fungus  spores,  and 
sulphate  of  copper  was  first  used  in  France  to  control  the  Phylloxera, 
or  grape  fungus.  It  was  found,  however,  that  the  sulphate  (or  Blue- 
stone)  contained  so  much  free  acid  that  it  injured  the  foliage  and 
consequently  something  was  required  to  naturalize  the  acid ;  this  was 
effected  by  the  use  of  quicklime,  and  after  experimenting  the  vinyard- 
ists  succeeded  in  making  a  mixture  of  carbonate  of  copper  (Bluestone 
or  Blue  Vitroil)  slaked  lime  and  water,  and  this  became  known  as 
BORDEAUX  MIXTURE.  When  the  fungus  fruit  pests  began  to  be 
unbearable  it  was  introduced  into  our  orchards  to  fight  the  pests, 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  91 

with  varying  results,  as  might  be  expected.  The  concensus  of  expert 
opinion,  however,  was  largely  to  the  effect  that  it  possessed  real 
merit,  and  that  where  it  failed  or  was  partially  unsatisfactory  was 
finally  traced  to  preventable  causes.  After  long  years  of  practical 
and  scientific  work  it  has  now  been  brought  to  a  degree  of  perfection 
and  universal  application  as  to  render  its  use  and  result  therefrom 
absolutely  certain  of  success  if  used  vigorously,  and  with  reasonable 
intelligence. 

FORMULA. 

Sulphate  of  Copper  (Blue  Vitriol)  four  pounds. 

Lime  (unslaked)  four  pounds. 

Water,  25  to  50  gallons. 

Dissolve  the  bluestone  in  hot  or  cold  water,  using  a  wood  or 
earthen  vessel,  and  hanging  the  bluestone  tied  in  a  cloth  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  Slake  the  lime  in  a  tub,  adding  water  cautiously, 
and  only  sufficient  to  insure  thorough  slaking.  After  thoroughly 
slaking,  more  water  may  be  added  and  stirred  in  until  it  has  the  con- 
sistency of  thick  cream.  When  both  are  cold,  dilute  each  to  the  re- 
quired strength  and  pour  both  together  into  a  separate  vessel  and 
thoroughly  mix.  Before  using,  strain  through  a  fine  sieve  or  gunny 
sack.  This  seems  to  be  a  very  simple  matter ;  yet  considerable  trouble 
has  freequently  been  experienced  in  the  prparation  of  Bordeau 
mixture.  Care  should  be  taken  that  the  lime  is  of  good  quality  and 
well  burned  and  has  not  been  air  slaked.  Lumps  are  far  better  than 
fine  lime,  and  are  selected  by  masons  for  fine  work.  When  small 
amounts  of  lime  are  to  be  slaked  it  is  advisable  to  use  hot  water. 
Lime  should  not  be  allowed  to  become  dry  in  slaking,  neither  should 
it  be  allowed  to  be  completely  submerged  in  water.  Lime  slakes  best 
when  supplied  with  just  enough  water  to  develop  a  large  amount  of 
heat,  which  renders  the  process  active.  If  the  amount  of  lime  in 
the  Bordeau  mixture  is  not  sufficient  to  neutralize  the  acid,  there  is 
danger  of  burning  the  tender  foliage.  There  are  two  simple  tests 
that  will  show  this  condition,  one  is  to  dip  the  polished  blade  of  a 
knife  in  the  mixture.  If  the  amount  of  lime  is  insufficient,  a  thin 
coat  of  copper  will  be  deposited  on  the  knife.  The  other  test  is  made 
by  dissolving  Ferro  cyandie  of  potassium  in  water  (one  ounce  Ferro 
cyanide  to  five  or  six  ounces  water),  a  deep  brownish  red  color  is 
imparted  on  adding  the  test  to  the  Bordeaux  mixture,  and  more  lime 
should  be  added  until  neither  reaction  occurs.  A  slight  excess  of  lime 


92  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

is,  however,  desirable,  and  it  is  seldom  one  has  to  apply  these  tests. 

Several  standard  strengths  of  Bordeaux  have  been  established 
and  are  known  by  the  abbreviated  names  of  the  formulae,  as  follows : 

Full  strength  (or  4-4-25,  formula).  That  is  four  pounds  copper 
sulphate,  four  pounds  lime,  and  25  gallons  water. 

Half  strength  (4-4-50,  formula). 

6-4-50,  formula. 

3-6-50,  formula. 

2-2-50,  formula. 

3-9-50,  formula. 

/The  last  three  formulae  are  suitable  for  peach  and  plum  foliage, 
which  are  liable  to  burn  when  full  strength  mixtures  are  used.  Bor- 
deaux mixture  is  also  on  the  market  in  a  dry  form  and  may  be  used 
either  alone  or  mixed  with  the  arsenicals  and  applied  with  a  powder 
gun. 

SODA  BORDEAUX  MIXTURE. 

Copper  sulphate,  four  pounds. 

Water,  50  gallons. 

Add  enough  soda  lye  to  make  the  mixture  alkaline  to  test  paper. 
This  is  merely  substituting  soda  for  the  line  and  has  the  advantage 
of  not  clogging  the  spray  nozzle,  which  the  lime  is  apt  to  do. 

AMMONIACAL  COPPER  CARBONATE. 

Copper  carbonate,  five  ounces. 

Ammonia  (26  degrees  Beaume),  three  pints. 

Water,  50  gallons. 

Dissolve  the  copper  carbonate  in  the  ammonia.  This  may  be 
kept  any  length  of  time  without  injury  if  kept  in  a  glass  stoppered 
bottle  and  can  be  diluted  to  the  required  strength  when  wanted  for 
use.  The  solution  loses  strength  on  standing. 

COPPER  SULPHATE  SOLUTION. 

(Strong  Solution.) 

Copper  sulphate,  one  pound. 

Water,  25  gallons. 

Applied  only  on  trees  without  foliage. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  93 

COPPER  SULPHATE  SOLUTION. 

(Weak  Solution.) 

Copper  sulphate,  two  to  four  ounces. 
Water,  50  gallons. 
For  trees  in  foliage. 

POTASSIUM  SULPHIDE. 

Potassium  sulphide,  three  ounces. 

Water,  10  gallons. 

Valuable  for  gooseberry  mildews,  etc. 

INSECTICIDES. 

(Stomach  Poisons.) 

PARIS  GREEN— DRY. 

Paris  Green,  one  pound. 
Flour,  20  to  50  pounds. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  apply  evenly,  preferably  when  the  dew  is 
on  the  plants. 

PARIS  GREEN— WET. 

Paris  Green,  one  pound. 

Quicklime,  one  to  two  pounds. 

Water,  200  gallons. 

Slake  the  lime  in  part  of  the  water,  sprinkling  in  the  Paris  Green 
gradually  and  then  add  the  rest  of  the  water.  For  peach  and  other 
tender  leaved  plants  use  300  gallons  of  water.  Keep  well  stirred 
while  spraying.  Paris  Green  is  a  preparation  of  Arsenic,  and  a  pow- 
erful poison ;  great  care  must  be  taken  in  handling  it. 

ARSENATE  OF  LIME. 

(Poison.) 

White  Arsenic,  two  pounds. 

Sal  Soda,  eight  pounds. 

Water,  two  gallons. 

Boil  till  the  arsenic  all  dissolves — about  45  minutes.  Make  up 
the  water  lost  in  boiling,  and  place  in  an  earthen  dish.  For  use  take 
one  pint  of  stock,  two  pounds  of  freshly  slaked  lime,  and  45  gallons 
water,  and  spray. 


94  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

ARSENATE  OF  LEAD. 

(Poison.) 

Arsenate  of  Soda  (50  degrees  strength),  four  ounces. 

Acetate  of  Lead,  11  ounces. 

Water,  100  gallons. 

Put  the  arsenate  of  soda  in  two  quarts  of  water,  in  a  wooden 
pail,  and  the  acetate  of  lead  in  four  quarts  of  water  in  another 
wooden  pail.  When  both  are  dissolved,  mix  with  rest  of  the  water. 
Warm  water  in  the  pails  will  hasten  the  process.  For  elm  leaf  beetle 
use  10  gallons  instead  of  100  gallons  of  water. 

As  arsenate  of  lead  has  now  an  established  place  on  the  market 
it  will  be  cheaper  and  more  satisfactory  to  procure  the  ready  made 
article  from  the  drug  store. 

ARSENATE  OF  LEAD. 

(Ready  Prepared  Article.) 

Arsenate  of  Lead,  three  pounds. 

Water,  50  gallons ;  for  coddling  moth,  and 

Arsenate  of  Lead,  five  pounds. 

Water,  50  gallons,  for  elm  leaf  beetle,  and  on  potatoes. 

CONTACT  POISONS. 
WHALE  OIL  SOAP. 

(For  Winter  Use  Only.) 

Potash  Whale  Oil  Soap,  two  pounds. 
Hot  Water,  one  gallon. 

WHALE  OIL  SOAP. 

(For  Summer  Use.) 

Potash  Whale  Oil  Soap,  one  pound. 
Hot  Water,  six  gallons. 

KEROSENE  EMULSION. 

Hard  Soap,  shaved  fine,  half  pound. 
Water,  two  gallons. 
Kerosene,  two  gallons. 

Dissolve  the  soap  in  the  water,  boiling  hot ;  remove  from  the  fire 
and  pour  it  into  the  kerosene  while  hot.  Churn  this  with  a  spray 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  95 

pump  till  it  changes  to  a  cream,  then  to  a  soft  butter-like  mass.  Keep 
this  as  a  stock,  using  one  part  in  nine  parts  of  water  for  soft  bodied 
insects,  such  as  plant  lice,  or  stronger  in  certain  cases. 

RESIN  LIME  MIXTURE. 

Pulverized  Resin,  five  pounds. 

Concentrated  Lye,  one  pound. 

Fish  Oil,  one  pint. 

Water,  five  gallons. 

Place  the  oil,  resin  and  one  gallon  of  hot  water  in  an  iron  kettle 
and  heat  till  the  resin  softens ;  then  add  the  lye  and  stir  thoroughly ; 
now  add  four  gallons  of  hot  water  and  boil  till  a  little  will  mix  with 
cold  water  and  give  a  clear  amber  colored  liquid;  add  water  to 
make  up  five  gallons.  Keep  this  as  a  stock  solution. 

For  Use  Take 

Stock  Solution,  one  gallon. 
Water,  16  gallons. 
Milk  of  Lime,  three  gallons. 
Paris  Green,  one-fourth  pound. 

This  sticks  well  to  smooth  leaves  and  is  highly  recommended  by 
some  of  the  experiment  stations. 

LIME  SULPHUR  WASH. 

Fresh  Stone  Lime,  20  to  22  pounds. 

Flowers  of  Sulphur,  18  to  20  pounds. 

Water,  45  to  50  gallons. 

Slake  the  lime  with  some  of  the  water  in  a  large  iron  kettle, 
sprinkling  in  the  sulphur  gradually.  Start  a  fire  under  the  kettle  to 
continue  the  heat  begun  by  the  slaking  lime,  and  boil  till  the  mixture 
becomes  a  dark  orange  color,  adding  water  till  35  or  40  gallons  are 
in  the  kettle.  Boiling  will  probably  take  from  40  minutes  to  an 
hour ;  stirr  frequently ;  a  successfully  prepared  lot  should  have  little 
sediment  when  the  boiling  is  finished.  Strain  through  a  fine  meshed 
strainer,  adding  the  rest  of  the  water  and  spray  while  warm.  This 
is  a  winter  and  fall  wash,  but  cannot  be  used  while  the  trees  are 
in  leaf. 


96  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 


CARBOLIC  ACID  EMULSION. 

Hard  Soap,  shaved  fine,  one  pound. 
Water,  one  gallon. 
Crude  Carbolic  Acid,  one  pint. 

Dissolve  soap  in  boiling  water,  add  the  carbolic  acid,  and  churn 
as  for  kerosene  emulsion.  Use  one  part  of  this  with  30  parts  of  water. 

HELLEBORE. 

White  Hellebore,  one  ounce. 

Water,  one  to  two  gallons. 

Steep  the  helebore  in  a  pint  of  water  and  gradually  add  the  rest 
of  the  water.  Hellebore  may  also  be  dusted  over  the  plants,  either 
pure  or  mixed  with  flour  or  plaster. 

INSECT  POWDER— PYRETHRUM. 

Mix  with  half  its  bulk  of  flour  and  keep  in  a  tight  can  for  24 
hours ;  then  dust  over  the  plants. 
Insect  Powder,  100  grains. 
Water,  two  gallons. 
Mix  together  and  spray. 

COMBINED  FUNGICIDES  AND  INSECTICIDES. 
BORDEAUX  MIXTURE  AND  PARIS  GREEN. 

Paris  Green,  if  pure,  six  ounces ;  more  if  necessary. 
Bordeaux  Mixture,  50  gallons. 

BORDEAUX  MIXTURE  AND  ARSENATE  OF  LEAD. 

With  ready  prepared  arsenate  of  lead  use  five  pounds  to  50 
gallons. 

BORDEAUX  MIXTURE  AND  ARSENATE  OF  LIME. 

Arsenate  of  Lime  (made  by  foregoing  formula),  1%  quarts. 
Bordeaux  Mixture,  50  gallons. 

IVORY  SOAP. 

Ivory  Soap  (10-cent  size),  one  bar. 
Water,  15  gallons. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  97 

Apply  warm  as  it  thickens  on  cooling.  Recommended  for  rose 
mildew  and  plant  lice. 

FUMIGANTS. 
CARBON  BISULPHATE. 

(Explosive — Use  With  Caution.) 

Evaporate  one  pound  of  carbon  bisulphate  to  every  1,000  cubic 
feet  of  space.  This  is  done  by  pouring  the  bisulphate  into  shallow 
dishes  placed  in  the  upper  part  of  the  space  to  be  fumigated,  and 
closing  everything  tightly  and  leaving  it  24  hours.  Then  open  and 
ventilate  for  10  minutes  before  entering  or  using  anything  that  has 
been  fumigated.  The  vapor  of  carbon  bisulphate  being  heavier  than 
air  settles  towards  the  floor.  This  treatment  is  effective  for  infested 
grain,  weevily  seed,  clothes  moths,  carpet  beetles,  etc.,  or  any  living 
thing  in  closets,  trunks  or  tight  boxes  where  they  may  be  placed  for 
treatment.  CAUTION:  DO  NOT  USE  CARBON  BISULPHATE 
NEAR  FIRE  OR  WHERE  THERE  IS  MUCH  HEAT,  AS  IT  TAKES 
FIRE  AND  EXPLODES  EASILY,  EVEN  FROM  A  LIGHTED 
PIPE  OR  CIGAR. 

HYDROCYANIC  OR  PRUSSIC  ACID. 
(Deadly  Poison.) 

(For  Nursery  Stock.) 

Potassic  Cyanide  (98  or  99  degrees). 

Sulphuric  Acid  (1.83,  sp.  gr.  commercial). 

Water. 

Multiply  the  number  of  cubic  feet  to  be  fumigated  by  .2  or  .25, 
giving  the  number  of  grams  of  cyanide  for  the  house  or  box ;  divide 
the  answer  by  28.35,  giving  the  weight  of  cyanide  in  ounces.  Take 
twice  as  many  fluid  ounces  of  acid  and  four  times  as  many  fluid 
ounces  of  water  as  was  taken  in  ounces  by  weight  of  the  cyanide. 
Mix  the  water  and  the  acid  in  an  earthenware  or  graniteware  jar. 
Then  by  a  loose  bag  and  string  drop  the  cyanide  into  the  acid  after 
closing  tightly  the  place  to  be  fumigated,  with  yourself  safe  from  the 
fumes  outside.  As  soon  as  the  cyanide  touches  the  acid,  fumes  of 
PRUSSIC  xlCID  ARE  DEVELOPED,  THE  INHALATION  OF  THE 
SMALLEST  QUANTITY  OF  WHICH  IS  SURE  AND  SUDDEN 
DEATH. 


98  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

Leave  everything  closed  up  tight  for  40  minutes,  then  open  from 
the  outside  and  air  for  at  least  ten  minutes  before  entering. 

HYDROCYANIC  ACID. 

(For  Empty  Houses.) 

Potassic  Cyanide  (98  or  99  degrees)  one  ounce  per  100  cubic  feet. 
Sulphuric  Acid  (1.83,  sp.  gr.  commercial),  two  fluid  ounces  per 
100  cubic  feet. 

Mix  as  directed  for  the  last  formula. 

NOTE — I  would  recommend  suburbanites  unfamiliar  with  the 
handling  of  these  powerful  poisons  in  fumigation  not  to  use  them 
without  the  help  of  experts  in  the  work. 

SOLUBLE  OR  MISCIBLE  OILS. 

Recently  the  miscible  oils  have  been  put  upon  the  market  and 
have  now  passed  the  experimental  stage  and  have  been  found  very 
useful  preparations  for  fighting  fruit  pests.  Heretofore  the  formulae 
on  the  market  were  proprietory  and  secret,  and  being  too  good  a 
thing  to  be  gobbled  up  by  monopolists.  Mr.  L.  C.  Penny  has  given 
much  attention  to  devising  a  practical  method  for  the  preparation  of 
miscible  oils  by  means  of  special  soap  solutions.  The  soap  solution 
specially  recommended  by  him  contains: 

Manhadden  (fish)  Oil,  10  gallons. 

Carbolic  Acid,  eight  gallons. 

Caustic  Potash,  15  pounds. 

This  mixture  is  heated  to  about  300  Fahrenheit,after  which  two 
gallons  each  of  kerosene  and  water  are  added.  A  number  of  in- 
secticide formulae  have  been  worked  out  by  Mr.  H.  Penny,  both  for 
winter  and  summer  use.  The  one  he  considers  most  efficient  for 
winter  use  contains  3  2-3  gallons  of  the  above  soap  solution,  40  gal- 
lons paraffine  oil,  six  gallons  resin  oil,  and  water  sufficient  for  the 
desired  dilution.  (See  Bulletin  79  of  Delaware  Agricultural  Station.) 

C.  O.  Haughton  of  Delaware  Agricultural  College  has  been  ex- 
perimenting in  this  direction,  and  he  with  other  investigators  has 
found  it  necessary  to  use  kerosene  emulsion  containing  15  per  cent 
to  20  per  cent  kerosene,  in  order  to  get  satisfactory  results  in  destroy- 
ing scale  insects.  By  means  of  miscible  oils  properly  prepared  scale 
insects,  were  effectually  destroyed  when  only  10  per  cent  of  heavy 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  99 

oil  was  present  in  the  spray,  and  it  is  believed  that  a  considerably 
smaller  percentage  will  give  satisfactory  result.  The  most  effective 
formula  for  miscible  oil  thus  far  tested  calls  for  nine  gallons  soap 
solution,  114  gallons  water,  40  gallons  paraffine  oil,  and  six  gallons 
resin  oil.  The  above  quantities  are  mentioned  as  being  suitable  in 
preparing  the  oils  for  orchard  use ;  but  as  it  is  only  a  matter  of  sim- 
ple mixing  the  ingredients  a  very  much  smaller  quantity  would  be 
required  for  suburbanite's  use  and  may  be  made  by  a  proportionate 
reduction  in  the  formula.  Bulletin  86,  Pennsylvania  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  treats  also  on  this  subject. 

QUASSIA  CHIPS. 

Quassia  Chips,  eight  pounds. 

Whale  Oil  Soap,  seven  pounds. 

The  quassia  chips  are  boiled  in  about  one  gallon  of  water  to  each 
pound  of  chips  for  one  hour.  The  soap  is  added  while  hot  and 
allowed  to  dissolve.  This  solution  is  then  diluted  with  100  gallons 
of  water.  Use  with  sprayer ;  or  on  young  trees  the  tips  of  the 
branches  affected  may  be  dipped  in  the  liquid.  This  is  a  very  effective 
wash  for  the  aphis  and  is  much  used  in  "Washington,  California  and 
Oregon  for  spraying  hop  vines,  as  it  is  not  poisonous. 

I  may  here  mention  that  the  lime  sulphur  wash  above  men- 
tioned when  first  introduced  was  called  the  Lime,  Salt,  and  Sulphur 
Wash,  as  it  was  made  with  a  proportion  of  salt,  the  formula  for  which 
was: 

LIME  SALT  AND  SULPHUR  WASH. 

Lime,  unslaked,  30  pounds. 

Sulphur,  flowered,  20  pounds. 

Salt,  coarse,  15  pounds. 

Water,  50  gallons ;  mix  as  above. 

However,  when  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  got  to  ex- 
perimenting with  it  they  found  that  the  salt  might  be  dispensed  with 
as  superfluous. 

All  these  spray  formulae  are  taken  from  the  bulletins,  and  re- 
ports of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and  different 
Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  and  are  public  property. 

In  order  to  make  this  very  important  subject  more  exhaustive  I 
give  some  extracts  from  the  instructions  issued  to  his  customers  by 
one  of  the  largest  growers  of  dwarf  trees  in  Europe. 


100  THE   SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

NOTES  on  the  Prevention  and  Destruction  of  Insects,  Pests  and 
Diseases  affecting  Fruit  Trees : 

Broadly  speaking  the  enemies  of  plant  life  may  be  divided  into 
four  classes : 

First — The  Aphides  (Green  Fly,  etc.) — These  have  to  be  de- 
stroyed by  the  direct  application  of  insecticides. 

Second — Leaf-eating  Insects  (Caterpillars,  Slugs,  etc.) — For 
whose  destruction  the  foliage  of  the  plants  must  be  poisoned. 

Three — Fungoid  Diseases    Mildews,  Blister,  etc.) 

Fourth — Mosses,  Lichens,  Scales  and  diseases  of  the  bark  which 
can  only  be  effectually  dealt  with  in  winter  when  the  trees  are  dor- 
mant. 

Before  entering  into  details  respecting  the  above  I  will  enum- 
erate a  few  remedies  which  are  of  easy  application.  Most  of  those 
are  best  applied  in  a  liquid  form  so  that  a  high  class  syringe  with  a 
fine  nozzle  is  an  absolute  necessity.  In  large  gardens  a  knapsack 
spraying  pump,  such  as  the  Vermorel  or  Antipest,  though  apparently 
costly  at  first,  will  save  its  value  in  a  very  short  time. 

DIRECT  INSECTICIDES. 

The  first  among  the  following  is  a  cheap,  effective  and  easily 
peated  sprayings  with  formula  F  (including  the  Paris  Green),  first, 
made  insecticide,  which  I  make  an  extensive  use  of  in  my  nurseries : 

(A).  Take  half  a  gallon  of  paraffine  (with  a  little  water  added) 
and  two  pounds  soft  soap,  and  boil  these  together  in  an  old  kettle 
in  the  open  garden.  When  boiling,  carefully  skim  off  the  greasy  look- 
ing surface  and  then  pour  the  paraffine  into  a  tub  containing  25 
gallons  of  rain  water.  Stir  thoroughly  before  using. 

(B).  Take  four  ounces  of  quassia  chips  and  boil  them  10  min- 
utes in  a  gallon  of  rain  water;  strain  them  and  add  to  the  liquid 
four  ounces  of  soft  soap,  lengthening  the  whole  of  2%  gallons. 

(C).  Boil  two  pounds  of  tobacco  leaf  stalks  in  a  gallon  of 
water,  strain  them  and  lengthen  them  to  five  gallons. 

LEAF  POISONING  INSECTICIDES. 

(D).  The  most  effective  of  these  is  Paris  Green  Mixtures.  This 
is  made  by  dissolving  one  ounce  of  Paris  Green  and  two  ounces  of 
fresh  lime  in  12  gallons  of  water.  The  lime  is  needed  to  destroy  the 
caustic  properties  of  the  Paris  Green. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  101 

(E).  Dissolve  half  pound  hellebore  powder  and  half  pound 
alum  in  tepid  water  and  lengthen  to  five  gallons. 

ANTI-FUNGOIDES. 

(i?j.  The  best  anti-fungoid  is  the  composition  known  as  Bor- 
deaux Mixture  ^described  above).  This  and  formula  D  are  often 
used  together,  in  which  case  four  ounces  of  Paris  Green  will  be  re- 
quired, but  no  more  additional  lime. 

(G).  Another  good  anti-fungoid  spray  is  made  by  dissolving 
five  ounces  of  sulphide  of  potassium  (liver  of  sulphur)  in  warm 
water,  and  lengthening  this  to  10  gallons. 

(H).  If  the  trees  need  spraying  when  the  fruit  is  in  a  very 
advanced  state  it  is  advisable  to  use  the  ammoniacal-copper  solution. 
This  is  made  by  dissolving  one  ounce  of  copper  carbonate  in  a  bottle 
containing  a  little  under  half  a  pint  of  ammonia.  The  bottle  will 
contain  sufficient  to  make  10  gallons  of  spray.  It  should  be  made 
only  as  required,  as  the  ammonia  exaporates  rapidly. 

WINTER  DRESSING. 

(I).  Dissolve  in  separate  vessels  one  pound  commercial  caustic 
soda  and  one  pound  crude  potash ;  pour  the  two  solutions  into  a  tub 
containing  10  gallons  of  water,  and  add  thereto  three-fourths  of  a 
pound  molasses  (common  treacle).  This  preparation  may  b<3  had 
ready  mixed  in  five-gallon  canisters  (concentrated)  to  make  50  gal- 
lons of  spray. 

APPLE  AND  PEAR  DISEASES. 

Most  varieties  of  fruit  have  one  or  more  diseases  or  insects 
peculiar  to  them,  but  on  the  other  hand  several  of  these  are  common 
to  nearly  all  kinds  of  trees.  They  will  therefore  be  referred  to  under 
headings  of  the  fruit  trees  most  ailected  by  their  ravages. 

Green  Fly — Apples  are  frequently  and  pears  occasionally  sub- 
ject to  serious  attacks  from  these.  They  are,  however,  easily  dis- 
posed of  by  spraying  with  formula. 

Woolly  Aphis  (American  Blight)  and  Oyster  Shell  Bark  Louse 
(Scale)  are  two  of  the  worst  enemies  of  the  bark  and  young  growth. 
Both  are  destroyed  by  painting  or  spraying  the  affected  part  while 
the  trees  are  dormant,  preferably  in  December  and  January,  with 


102  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

formula  I.  The  former  may  be  kept  down  in  summer  by  frequent 
spraying  of  formula  A. 

Codlin  Moth  is  probably  the  most  familiar  of  our  apple  tree 
pests,  more  especially  so  in  the  form  of  "Apple  Worm."  The  moths 
appear  in  May  and  June  and  lay  their  eggs  at  the  blossom  end  of  the 
apple.  There  they  are  hatched  and  after  a  few  days  they  enter  the 
apple  by  the  crown,  making  straight  for  the  core.  There  are  three 
things  to  be  done :  First,  spray  within  a  week  of  the  fall  of  the  bloom 
with  formula  D;  second,  gather  all  apples  as  they  fall  and  destroy 
them ;  third,  place  bands  of  hay  around  the  stems  of  the  affected  trees 
in  July.  Remove  and  burn. 

Winter  and  March  Moths — The  caterpillars  of  these,  usually 
known  as  "loopers,"  feed  on  the  young  foliage  of  apple  trees  and 
occasionally  even  attack  the  bloom.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  immediately  they  appear  the  trees  be  sprayed  with  formula  D, 
repeating  the  dose  if  necessary  a  few  days  later.  Prevention,  how- 
ever, is  better  than  cure  and  a  study  of  their  life  history  shows  us 
that  though  the  male  insect  has  wings  the  female  is  practically  wing- 
less. As  it  cannot  fly  it  can  only  reach  the  branches  of  the  tree  where 
it  may  lay  eggs  by  crawling  up  the  stem  of  the  tree.  They  should 
therefore  be  trapped  by  placing  bands  of  oiled  paper  smeared  with 
axle  grease  (or  any  similar  special  preparation)  around  the  stems  of 
the  trees  the  second  week  in  October,  at  which  time  they  are  about 
to  commence  their  upward  journey. 

Canker — The  most  frequent  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  de- 
structive form  of  canker  attacking  the  apple  and  pear  trees  is  caused 
by  a  minute  fungus  (Nectria  Ditissima).  Being  unable  to  pierce  the 
unbroken  bark  it  can  only  gain  admission  to  the  living  portion  of  a 
branch  through  a  wound.  Sometimes  these  wounds  are  caused  by 
hail,  sometimes  they  result  from  punctures  of  small  insects,  but  in 
my  opinion  they  are  more  frequently  caused  by  bursting  of  unripe 
wood  cells,  as  explained  below. 

Having  once  gained  an  entrance  the  fungus  spreads  rapidly 
through  the  bark,  which  soon  shows  signs  of  being  eaten  away.  In 
the  autumn  months  the  presence  of  the  ' '  Nectria ' '  m'ay  be  recognized 
by  the  minute  white  specks  (not  to  be  confused  with  American 
blight)  which  may  be  seen  nestling  in  crevices  of  the  rugged  bark 
around  the  edges  of  the  wound.  These  are  the  fruits  of  the  fungus 
which  (while  in  this  state)  may  be  destroyed  by  painting  them  with  a 
solution  of  one  pound  of  sulphate  of  iron,  dissolved  in  a  gallon  of 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  103 

water.  I  have  given  much  thought  to  this  subject,  fully  perused 
volumes  of  correspondence  in  the  horticultural  press,  and  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  in  most  cases  of  canker  the  state  of  the  roots 
is  the  secret  of  the  mischief.  Predisposing  causes  point  to  the  best 
way  of  preventing  and  restricting  its  work.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
canker  seldom  appears  on  trees  whose  roots  are  all  near  the  surface, 
but  most  frequently  on  trees  which  have  tap  roots  whose  sap  is 
drawn  from  the  sour  subsoil  which,  owing  to  its  depth  from  the  sur- 
face, has  not  been  "sweetened"  by  the  heat  of  the  sun's  rays.  The 
cells  of  the  wood  produced  by  such  sap  cannot  be  properly  ripened 
and  on  the  appearance  of  cold  the  cells  give  way,  causing  the  mark 
to  split,  the  "Nectria"  at  once  enters  and  canker  commences  its 
deadly  work.  The  remedy,  or  rather  the  preventive,  is  to  keep  the 
roots  near  the  surface  by  frequent  mulching  of  stable  manure.  Can- 
kered branches  should  be  pared  around  to  the  quick  and  dressed 
either  with  clay  and  cowdung,  gas  tar  or  grafting  paste. 

Pear  Midge — This  is  probably  the  greatest  enemy  of  the  pear. 
The  midge  itself  is  a  small  knat-like  fly,  which  in  April  lays  its  egga 
in  the  opening  flower  buds  of  the  pear  tree  without  in  any  way  pre- 
venting the  fruit  from  setting.  There  are  no  signs  of  its  presence 
until  a  few  weeks  later,  when  those  attacked  commence  to  swell 
abnormally  and  to  assume  deformed  shapes.  On  examination  these 
will  be  found  to  contain  a  number  of  small  worms.  It  is  imperative 
that  all  fruits  attacked  be  gathered  and  burnt,  else  early  in  July 
they  will  fall  to  the  ground,  turn  to  chrysalis  and  give  a  fresh 
supply  for  coming  seasons. 

Pear  Slugs — There  are  several  kinds,  but  the  most  plentiful  are 
the  grubs  of  the  pear  and  cherry  sawfly.  They  do  a  great  deal  of 
harm,  mostly  in  May,  by  eating  not  only  the  foliage,  but  also  the 
tips  of  the  growths  of  pears  and  plums.  Spray  with  formula  D. 

Cracking  and  Scab  occur  frequently  on  trees  when  the  pruning 
and  roots  have  been  neglected.  A  change  of  soil  at  the  roots  will  be 
needed,  but  the  parasite  fungi  whose  present  prevent  assimilation  in 
the  leaf  and  development  in  the  fruit  can  only  be  eradicated  by  re- 
peated sprayings  with  formula  F  (including  the  Paris  Green).  First, 
when  the  buds  begin  to  swell;  second,  just  before  the  blooms  open; 
third,  when  the  blooms  have  fallen,  and  twice  later  at  intervals  of  a 
fortnight. 

Mosses,  Lichens  and  Scales — It  is  a  pitiful  sight  to  go  through 
many  orchards  where  apple  trees  in  particular  have  their  bark 


104  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

smothered  with  moss.  Such  trees  cannot  possibly  grow  or  bear  well. 
It  is  essential  that  their  bark  be  carefully  scraped  and  that  in 
December  or  January  they  be  thoroughly  sprayed  with  formula  I. 
1  cannot  too  strongly  recommend  an  annual  spraying,  as  it  arrests 
all  mossy  growth  and  destroys  all  scales,  besides  ridding  the  trees  of 
insects  which  hibernate  or  lay  their  eggs  in  crevices  or  under  the 
edges  of  the  bark. 

PLUM  AND  DAMSON  DISEASES. 

These  are  very  liable  to  attacks  from  GREEN  FLY  in  an  aggra- 
vated form  and  will  need  one  or  two  sprayings  of  formula  A.  They 
are  probably  more  subject  to  scale  than  any  other  fruit  tree,  and 
must  be  sprayed  in  winter  with  formula  1,  as  shown  in  preceding 
paragraph. 

Red  Spider  —  In  both  dry  seasons  the  under  surfaces  of  plum 
leaves  are  liable  to  attacks  by  myriads  of  these,  who  suck  the  sap 
and  choke  the  leaf  pores  with  their  fine  webs.  A  spraying  or  two 
of  formula  A,  to  which  has  been  added  one  pound  of  flowers  of  sul- 
phur (boiled),  will  materially  assist  in  eradicating  these  mites. 

Wasps  —  rPlums  are  probably  more  than  any  other  outdoor  fruit 
liable  to  the  depredations  of  wasps.  Various  wasp  poisons  are 
offered,  but  there  is  always  a  certain  amount  of  danger  in  poisoning 
the  fruit.  By  far  the  best  method  is  to  trace  them  to  their  nest  at 
night.  This  is  easily  done  by  closing  up  their  entrance  hole  with  a 
soft  rag,  which  has  been  saturated  in  a  solution  made  of  dissolving 

ounces  of  cyanide  of  potassium  (poison)  in  1%  pints  of  water. 


PEACH  AND  NECTARINE  DISEASES. 

Blister  and  Fly  Curl  —  These  are  erroneously  attributed  by  many 
to  the  work  of  Green  Fly,  whereas  they  are  in  reality  caused  by  a 
fungoid  disease  (Exorcus  Deformans),  which  attacks  the  foliage 
after  a  spell  of  cold  winds.  The  damaged  leaves  should  be  picked 
off  and  burned  and  the  tree  kept  clean  of  flies  by  spraying  of  formula 
A.  The  fungoid  itself  is  difficult  to  dislodge  and  will  require  at 
least  two  sprayings  of  Bordeaux  Mixture  (formula  F)  to  cope  with 
its  ravages.  The  first  should  be  applied  just  before  the  buds  begin 
to  swell  and  followed  by  a  second  and  weaker  spraying  as  soon  as 
the  flowers  have  fallen. 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  105 

CHERRY  DISEASES. 

Black  Fly — Cherries  are  very  liable  to  attacks  from  these.  As 
soon  as  they  appear  the  trees  should  be  sprayed  with  formula  A, 
or  better  still,  with  the  tobacco  solution  C,  made  slightly  stronger. 
It  is  often  necessary  to  dip  the  tips  of  the  branches  in  the  solution 
in  order  to  destroy  the  fly. 

The  falling  of  cherries  at  stoning  time  is  usually  attributable  to 
the  lack  of  lime  in  the  soil.  This  may  be  remedied  by  freely  mixing 
a  quantity  of  lime  rubble  with  the  soil  around  the  roots.  A  very 
beneficial  autumn  dressing  for  all  fruit  trees,  but  especially  for  stone 
fruits,  consists  of  40  ounces  Basig  Slag  and  one  ounce  of  Kainit  to 
the  square  yard  as  far  as  the  roots  extend.  If  the  trees  are  not  fairly 
vigirous  this  may  be  followed  in  early  spring  by  an  application  of 
two  ounces  of  Superphosphates  and  one  ounce  of  Sulphate  of  Am- 
monia to  the  same  space. 

GOOSEBERRY  AND  CURRANT  DISEASES. 

Caterpillars  of  the  gooseberry  and  currant  sawfly  may  be  dis- 
posed of  by  dusting  the  trees  with  hellebore  powder  or  spraying 
them  with  formula  E.  Should  there  be  any  sign  of  mildew  on  the 
plants  the  solution  of  liver  of  sulphur  (formula  G-)  may  be  sprayed 
similtaneously  with  the  preceding.  Red  spider,  to  which  both  are 
liable,  should  be  treated  as  for  plums. 

Big  Bud — The  black  currant  mite  which  causes  this  disease  is 
too  small  to  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye,  but  a  diseased  bud  on  being 
examined  under  the  microscope  is  found  to  contain  myriads  of  little 
worm-like  insects.  As  these  lay  eggs  practically  all  the  year  round 
there  is  no  effectual  cure.  It  is  advisable  to  prune  off  and  burn  all 
affected  parts  and  obtain  all  fresh  supplies  of  black  currant  bushes 
from  an  absolutely  untamed  source. 

Gooseberry  Mildew — Spray  with  Bordeaux  Mixture  as  soon  as 
the  leaves  drop  in  the  fall,  again  before  the  buds  break  in  the  early 
spring.  When  the  first  leaves  have  expanded  spray  with  potassium 
sulphide  and  repeat  at  intervals  of  ten  days,  if  necessary,  throughout 
the  summer. 

The  whole  subject  of  fruit  pests  and  spraying  has  been  exhaus- 
tively discussed  by  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  in  nearly 
all  the  states  and  their  Bulletins  will  be  sent  free  on  demand  by 
citizens  of  the  different  states  publishing  them. 


106  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

It  may  be  of  interest  in  this  connection  to  give  a  partial  list  of 
some  of  the  Bulletins  upon  this  subject,  published  by  different  Agri- 
cultural Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations: 

Bulletin   No.    123,    Massachusetts   Agricultural   Experiment   Sta- 
tions.    " Fungicides,  Insecticides  and  Spraying  Directions." 

Bulletin  No.  106,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  of  Nebraska. 
"Does  it  Pay  to  Spray  Nebraska  Apple  Orchards?" 

Bulletin  No.  113,  Vermont  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 
"Preparation  and  Use  of  Sprays." 

Bulletin  No.  154,  Maine  Agricultural  Experiment  Station.  "Paris 
Green  and  Bordeaux  Mixture." 

Bulletin  No.  49,  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  station. 
1  *  Petroleum  Emulsion  for  San  Jose  Scale. ' ' 

Bulletin  No.  23,  Montana  Agricultural  College  Experiment  Sta- 
tion. "Injurious  Fruit  Insects.  Insecticides." 

Bulletin  No.  3,  Vol.  4,  Pennsylvania  Department  of  Agriculture. 
"Summer  Treatment  of  Scale  Insects." 

Bulletin  No.  296,  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Geneva.  "Saving  Old  Orchards  from  Scale." 

Bulletin  No.  95,  Arkansas  Agricultural  Station.  "Notes  on 
Spraying. ' ' 

Circular  No.  120,  University  of  Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station.  "Spraying  Apple  Orchards  for  Insects  and  Fungi." 

In  addition  to  the  above  the  experiment  stations  in  almost  every 
state  in  the  United  States  have  published  Bulletins  or  Circulars  more 
or  less  elaborate  upon  this  subject,  for  which  readers  may  apply  in 
writing.  However  if  they  will  procure  the  above  list  and  make 
themselves  familiar  with  their  contents  they  will  become  fairly  well 
posted  in  details. 

VARIETIES  OF  FRUIT  BEST  ADAPTED  TO  THE  DWARFING 

PROCESS. 

The  vast  number  of  varieties  of  fruit  listed  in  the  nurserymen's 
catalogues  is  very  confusing  to  the  suburbanite  when  he  requires  to 
make  a  selection  for  use.  There  are,  however,  some  varieties  that  so 
much  better  adapted  to  the  dwarfing  process  than  others,  that  this 
appendix  may  prove  helpful.  While  the  commercial  orchardist  re- 
quires only  a  few  varieties,  but  enough  of  each  to  furnish  carload 
lots,  and  is  compelled  to  conform  to  the  market  requirements  as  to 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  107 

varieties,  the  suburbanite  requires  a  greater  variety  and  at  the  same 
time  should  plant  the  best,  AND  ONLY  THE  BEST.  The  following 
lists  may  be  selected  from  with  the  certainty  of  most  satisfactory 
results.  I  would  say  here,  however,  that  these  lists  by  no  means  ex- 
haust the  choicest  varieties,  but  I  must  draw  the  line  somewhere, 
and  the  following  will  afford  ample  field  to  gratify  individual  fancy : 

APPLES. 

The  following  abbreviations  are  used:  (C)  for  cooking  varieties, 
(D)  desert,  (C  and  D)  good  for  both  purposes,  (F  C)  show  what 
varieties  received  the  first-class  certificate  of  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society  of  England,  which  is  the  highest  award  given  by  that 
society  and  is  a  guarantee  of  the  highest  quality.  (*)  signifies  extra 
quality,  (**)  double  extra,  and  (***)  of  superlative  excellence. 

SELECTED  DOZENS  FOR  SPECIAL  QUALITIES. 
Large  Size. 

ALFBISTON    (C).  LOBD   SUPPIELD    (C  **). 

BISMARCK     (CPC*).  MERE  DE   MENAGE    (C). 

BBAMLEY'S    SEEDLING    (CPC*).  MONSTBEUSE    INCOMPARABLE. 

ECKLINVILLE    SEEDLING    (C).  PEASGOOD'S    NON-SUCK    (C). 

EMPEBOB   ALEX  AND  EB    (C).  POTT'S    SEEDLING    (C). 

GLOBIA    MI7NDI    (C).  WARNER'S    KING    (C  *). 

Bright  Color. 

BISMARCK.  HOLLANDBUBY'S   ADMIBABLE    (C). 

CELINEE    (C*).  LADY    HENNEKEB    (C  D  PC). 

COX'S  POMONA    (C).  ME  BE   DE   MENAGE. 

DEVONSHIRE   QUABENDEN    (D  *).  BED  ASTBACHAN   (CD). 

EMPEBOB    ALEXANDER.  THE   QUEEN   (C  D  PC). 

GASCOIGNE'S    SCABLET    (CPC).  WORCESTER   PEABMAIN    (C  D  PC). 

Fine  Flavor. 

ALLINGTON   PIPPIN    (D  PC).  IRISH    PEACH    (D). 

BLENHEIM  ORANGE    (CD*).  KING   OP  PIPPINS    (D  *). 

CORNISH  GILLIFLOWER  (D).  MARGIX.   (D  **). 

COX'S   GOLDEN  PIPPIN    (D).  MB.   GLADSTONE    (D  *). 

DUKE  OP  DEVONSHIRE   (D  *).  RIBSTON   PIPPIN    (D). 

GOLDEN   PIPPIN    (D*).  BOYAL    RUSSET    (D). 

Heavy  Crops. 

ALPRXBTON.  XESWICX    CODLIN    (C). 

BISMARCK.  LANE'S   PRINCE   ALBERT    (CPC*). 

CELINEE.  LORD    SUPFIELD. 

DEVONSHIRE    QUARENDEN.  POTT'S   SEEDLING. 

ECKLINVILLE    SEEDLING.  STIBLING    CASTLE    (C). 

KAWTKORNDEN    (C).  WORCESTER   PEABMAIN. 


108  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

Some  of  the  above  excel  in  more  than  one  quality  and  conse- 
quently are  more  desirable.  Detailed  description  of  the  above  will 
be  found  further  on.  While  the  above  may  prove  a  sufficient  list 
for  the  majority  of  suburbanites  to  select  from,  I  will  add  a  descrip- 
tive list  of  50  of  the  best  quality  of  apples  in  order  to  furnish  a 
wider  range  for  selection. 

Descriptive  List  of  Fifty  Best  Apples. 

(For  Suburbanite's  Use.) 

DESSERT. 

ALDINGTON  PIPPIN    (P  O) — A  richly  flavored  apple,   result  of   cross   between 

King   of   Pippins   and   Cox's   Orange    Pippin.      Yellow   streaked   with   red   on 

sunny  side;  good  bearer;  free  grower;  November  to  February. 
BELLE  FLOWER  (*) — Large  and  excellent;  skin  smooth,  yellow,  tender;  juicy, 

crisp.     November  to  January. 
BLENHEIMS  ORANGE— Flesh  yellowish,  crisp,  juicy;  good  both  for  table  and 

kitchen  use.     November  to  February. 

CHARLES  BOSS  (P  C) — A  seedling  from  Cox's  Orange  Pippin;  large  and  hand- 
some, solid,  heavy,  and  high  flavored.     November  to  December. 
CLAYGATE  PEARMAIN — Medium  size,  richly  flavored,  highly  aromatic,  similar 

to  Ribston  Pippin.     January  to  May. 
COX'S  ORANGE  PIPPIN  (***) — Medium  size.     There  is  no  better  apple  grown. 

October  to  February. 
CORONATION — Medium    size;    resembling   Cox's    Orange    Pippin;    suffused   with 

red  and  streaked  on  sunny  side.     September  to  October. 
COURT   PENDU    PLAT    (*) — Medium,    handsomely    shaped.      A   valuable    desert 

apple  of  first  quality.     In  use  Decembe'r  to  May. 
DETROIT    RED — Above    medium,    entirely    covered    with    uniform    darkest    red, 

flesh  suffused  with  bright  red;  of  very  fine  flavor.     November  to  January. 
DEVONSHIRE   QUARENDEN — Medium,  skin  almost  entirely  dark  purplish  red, 

crisp,  juicy  and  rich;  the  best  early  high  colored  apple.     August. 
DUKE   OP   DEVONSHIRE — Medium,   rich,   crisp,   juicy.      February   to   May. 
GRAVENSTEIN   (*)— Large,  popular,  high  quality;  good  also  for  kitchen.     Sep- 
tember to  January. 

GOLDEN  PIPPIN — Well  known  for  excellence;  small  size.  November  to  February. 
IRISH  PEACH — Early  and  high  perfumed,  juicy  and  well  flavored,  medium  size. 

August. 
KING  OP  PIPPINS — Medium  to  large;  very  handsome;  crisp  and  juicy.     October 

to  January. 
MARGIZi — Small,  richly  flavored;  one  of  the  finest  desert  apples.     November  to 

March. 
MANNINGTON'S    PEARMAIN— Medium,    juicy,    sweet,    flavor    rich;    should    be 

allowed  to  hang  late  on  the  tree.     November  to  March. 
McINTOSH  RED  (*) — Medium,  hardy,  nearly  covered  with  dark  red;  flesh  white, 

fine,  juicy  and  refreshing.     November. 
MB.   GLADSTONE    (P   C)— The   earliest   desert   apple;    mottled   red  with   yellow 

streaks;  carries  bloom  like  a  plum;  very  prolific.     July. 
RIBSTON  PIPPIN — Medium;  a  favorite  English  apple;   flesh  yellow,  firm,  with 

rich  aromatic  flavor;  very  prolific.     October  to  January. 

RED  JUNEATING — Medium  size,  early  and  excellent;  very  popular.     July. 
SPITZENBERG    ESOPUS — Medium    to    large,    deep     red,     flesh     yellow,     highly 

flavored,  sub-acid.     November  to  March. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  109 

STURMER'3  PIPPIN — Medium  size,  firm,  brisk,  richly  flavored;  a  valuable  late 
keeping  apple;  corning  into  use  when  other  late  varieties  are  over.  February 
to  June. 

THE  HOUBIiON — A  grand  desert  apple,  from  a  pip  of  the  same  fruit  from  which 
the  Charles  Ross  was  raised;  a  deeper  and  longer  keeping  Cox's  Orange 
Pippin;  remarkably  firm  fleshed  and  attractive  variety.  October  to  March. 

THE  QUEEN  (P  C) — Handsome;  a  great  bearer;  flesh  white  tender  and  excellent; 
enormously  prolific.  September. 

WINTER  BANANA  (***) — This  is  a  remarkably  handsome  apple;  large,  with 
strong  banana  flavor.  The  highest  priced  apple  on  the  market.  October  to  July. 

CULINARY. 

ALPRISTON— A  good  bearer,  and  one  of  the  largest  apples  in  cultivation.     No- 
vember to  April. 
BEAUTY  OP  BATH    (P  C) — A  beautiful   striped  early  apple;   good  grower  and 

abundant  bearer.     August. 
BISMARCK   (P  C)— One  of  the  handsomest  apples  in  cultivation  and  a  profuse 

bearer.     November  to  February. 
BRACELET'S    SEEDLING    (P    C) — Skin    striped    with    scarlet;    very    large,    flesh 

firm,  acid  and  juicy;  a  valuable  late  apple.     December  to  March. 
CEIiENEE — A  handsome  large  red  apple;   one  of  the  most  commendable  of  all 

apples.     October  and  November. 
CANADA    REINETTE— Large    yellow,    firm,    well    flavored;    good    for    desert    or 

kitchen;  an  abundant  bearer.     November  to  January. 
COZ'S   POMONA — Large,   very   handsome;   one  of  the  best  and  most  prolific   of 

apples.  September  to  October. 
DUTCH   MICrNONNE— Large,    round,    smooth   and   handsome;    good   for   table   or 

kitchen.     December  to  April. 
DUMEXiOW'S  SEEDLING  (Wellington) — Large  and  excellent;  always  retains  its 

acid.     November  to  March. 
ECKLINTTILZE   SEEDLING— Large,    roundish;    a  handsome   and   excellent   apple 

and  great  bearer.     October  to  January. 
EMPERCR  ALEXANDER — Fruit  very  large,  roundish  ovate,  flesh  tender;  one  of 

the  most  beautiful  apples.     September  to  November. 

GASCOIGNES  SEEDLING  (P  C)— A  distinct  richly  colored  and  exceedingly  hand- 
some apple;  free  bearer;  its  bright  color  makes  it  a  favorite  for  the  table 

and  kitchen.     November  to  March. 
GOLDEN  NOBIiE — Very  large,  roundish,  skin  smooth,  clear  bright  yellow,  flesh 

yellowish,  firm  and  juicy.     October  to  March. 
HAWTHORNDEN — Large,   roundish   yellow,   flesh  white,   crisp,   tender  and  very 

highly  flavored.     October  to  January. 

IIE3WICK  CODIiIN — Medium,  conical,  angular,  light  yellow;  a  great  bearer,  sel- 
dom  misses  a  crop.     August  and  September. 
KING-  OP  TOMPKINS   COUNTY — Very  large  and  handsome,   flavor  rich,   tender 

and  good,  equally  adapted  to  table  or  kitchen.     November  to  January. 
DANE'S   PRINCE   ALBERT — An   extremely   handsome   and   late  variety;   a  good 

bearer;  very  recommendable.     October  to  January. 
ZiORD  SUPFIELD — Very  large,  nearly  white;  a  most  abundant  bearer.     August 

and  September. 
NEWTON  WONDER — Large,  solid;  keeps  late;  very  prolific;  one  of  the  best  of 

recent   introductions.     November  to  May. 
PEASGOOD'S  NON-SUCH   (P   C) — One  of  the  handsomest  apples  in  cultivation; 

flesh  yellow,  tender,  juicy,  with  an  agreeable  acid  flavor.     October  to  January. 
POTTS'    SEEDLING — A   handsome   and   prolific    yellow   apple;    a   very   desirable 

variety.     September  and  October. 
STERLING  CASTLE — An  excellent  apple  and  great  bearer;  skin  green,  turning 

to  pale  yellow;  flesh  white,  tender  and  juicy.     October  and  November. 


110  THE  SUBURBANITE'S   HANDBOOK 

WEALTHY — Very  hardy,  prolific,  medium  to  large  size;  red  streaked;  good  packer 

on    account   of   uniform    shape;    good    for    table    or    kitchen.      September    to 

December. 
WARNER'S   KING — Very   large,   deep  yellow   strewed   with   russet;   flesh   white, 

tender,   crisp  and  juicy,   with   fine  brisk  sub-acid   flavor;   first-rate   culinary 

apple;   prolific.     October  to  January. 
WORCESTER  PEARMAIN  (P  C) — Medium  size;  skin  completely  covered  with  red; 

flesh  tender,  juicy  and  well  flavored;  early  and  of  good  quality.     August  and 

September. 

While  the  above  is  a  good  list  of  choice  variety  of  apples  that 
will  dwarf  well,  and  give  satisfaction,  yet  there  are  lots  more  that 
might  be  added.  In  one  of  the  nurserymen's  catalogues  now  before 
me  172  varieties  of  apples  are  listed,  and  others  give  still  longer  lists. 
It  may  be  that  many  of  my  readers  are  unfamiliar  with  the  names  of 
some  of  the  varieties,  they  being  of  European  origin.  This  arises 
from  the  fact  that  more  attention  has  been  paid  to  dwarfing  there, 
and  I  avail  myself  of  the  European's  well  practiced  experience.  At 
the  same  time  I  include  a  number  of  choice  American  varieties. 

PEARS. 

To  France  and  the  Island  of  Jersey  we  owe  some  of  our  best 
pears,  and  it  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  following  list  I  have  drawn 
largely  on  both  these  countries,  as  the  dwarfing  system  has  been 
highly  developed  there.  (*)  means  extra,  (**)  means  a  super-excel- 
lent, (C)  for  culinary,  (D)  for  dessert,  (DC)  good  for  both  purposes, 
(DG)  double  grafted. 

BARTLETT  (Bon  Cretien) — A  well  known  pear  of  the  highest  excellence.  August 
and  September. 

BELLE  DE  JERSEY  (BELLE  ANGEVENE))  (C)—  This  is  the  largest  of  all 
pears,  sometimes  weighing  up  to  three  pounds;  is  very  ornamental  and  is 
used  in  France  more  to  ornament  the  dinner  table  than  for  eating.  It  fre- 
quently sells  in  the  Palais  Royal,  Paris,  for  30  francs  each.  November  to  May. 

BERG-AMOTTE  ZSPEREN  (D)— A  delicious  late  pear,  medium  size;  flesh  yel- 
lowish, melting  and  juicy.  February  to  April. 

BEURRE  D'  ANJOU  (D) — Large;  an  excellent  melting  pear;  one  of  the  best  early 
winter  pears.  December. 

BEURRE  D'  AMANLIS  (*  D)— This  is  one  of  our  best  September  pears;  very 
large,  tender,  juicy,  melting,  with  richly  perfumed  flavor;  an  excellent  wall 
pear.  September. 

BETJRRE  D»  AREMBERG  (D)— Very  Juicy,  sweet  and  delicious  with  pleasant 
aroma.  September.  (Known  as  GLOU  MORCEAU  in  England.) 

BTIRRE  BEURRE  DIEL  (D) — Very  large,  aften  weighing  16  to  20  ounces;  melt- 
ing and  excellent;  a  well  known  pear.  November  and  December. 

BEURRE  GIPrORD  (D) — Medium  size,  melting,  very  juicy;  one  of  the  best 
early  pears;  a  good  pear.  July. 

BEURRE  HARDY  (D) — Large;  an  excellent  melting  pear;  remarkable  for  its 
beauty  and  vigor  of  growth  on  the  quince;  is  very  good  on  a  wall.  October. 

BEURRE  RANGE  (D  G) — Often  very  large;  a  most  excellent  late  melting  pear; 
requires  double  grafting;  forms  a  better  bush  than  pyramid.  March  and  April, 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  Ill 

BEURBE  SUPERFINE  (*  D) — A  most  delicious  desert  pear;  well  known  as  one 

of  our  best  dessert  pears.     September   and   October. 
BEUBBE    CAPLAUMONT    (D    C) — Medium    size,    juicy   and    agreeable;    a    most 

abundant  bearer.     October. 
BEUBBE    LUCRATIVE    (D) — A   fine    medium,    melting    pear,    yellow,    delicious, 

good  grower  and  productive.     September. 
CAT  ALL  AC  (*  C) — An  immense  bearer;  best  for  stewing,  owing  to  large  size;  is 

better  as  bush  or  espalier.     December  to  March. 
CLAIBGEAU    (D    G) — Large   and    very    handsome;    double    grafted;    it    makes    a 

handsome  pyramid.     December. 

CLAPS  FAVOBITE    (*  D) — An  American   pear  of  high   excellence;   large,   hand- 
some and  exceedingly  good,  and  is  valuable  for  either  wall  or  orchard.  August. 
CONFERENCE    (*  D  PC) — Fruit  large;   flesh   salmon   colored,   melting,   juicy  and 

rich;  tree  robust  and  hardy.     Early  November. 

CITBON  DE  CABMES  (D  DO) — Below  medium  size;  when  double  grafted  it  bears 
very  fine  fruit;  is  very  popular  in  France,  where  few  fruit  gardens  are  with- 
out it.       July. 
DUBONDEAU    (DE   TONGEBS) — Very   large   and   handsome,    melting,    rich   and 

delicious;  a  good  wall  or  espalier  pear.     October  and  November. 
DUCHESSE  D'  ANGOULEME  (D  C) — A  very  large  and  noble  looking  fruit;  best 
suited  for  exhibition,  though  when  grafted  on  quince  the  fruit  becomes  melt- 
ing and  rich.     October  and  November. 
DB.  JUIES  GUYOT  (***  D) — A  great  improvement  on  the  Bartlett,  being  earlier; 

is  often  of  the  highest  quality.     August  and  September. 

DOYENNE  BOUSSOCH — A  very  large  and  handsome  pear,   which  succeeds  and 
bears  profusely  on  the  quince;  good  on  wall  or  trellis.    October  and  November. 
DOYENE   DE    COMICE    (**  D  C) — A   most   delicious   pear,    of   largest   size,   very 
handsome;  melting  and  juicy.     The  fruit  on  a  wall  or  espalier  is  superb  in 
quality  and  appearance.     In  the  orchard  house,  in  a  pot,  the  fruit  will  ripen 
on  the  tree  into  November  and  may  then  be  gathered  and  eaten.    November. 
FOBELLE    (TBOUT   PEAB)    (D  G) — Medium;   a   very  handsome   speckled   pear; 
succeeds  well  double  grafted;  the  color  of  skin  is  very  attractive.     November. 
GENEBAL  TODLEBEN — Very  large,  melting  and  juicy;  good  as  a  wall  or  espa- 
lier pear;  great  bearer.     November. 

JERSEY  GBATIOIiI — A  delicious  pear  and  great  bearer.     September  and  October. 

JERSEY  CHAUMONTEL  (**  D) — The  best  and  finest  of  all  our  pears,  bearing  a 

crop  when  all  other  fail;   the  flavor  of  this   remarkable  pear  is  unequalled; 

often  weighs  one  and  one-half  pounds. 

JARGONELLE    (D  G) — A  large,   well  known  early  variety,  particularly  adapted 

for  an  early  wall.     July. 

JOSEPHINE  DE  MALINES  (  *) — Medium  size;  a  delicious  hardy,  melting  pear, 
with  rich  aromatic  flavor;  succeeds  well  on  quince;  bears  well  as  bush  or 
espalier;  is  very  prolific.  January,  February,  March. 

GANSELS  BEBGAMOT  (D  G) — Large  and  very  handsome;  perfumed,  melting  and 
excellent;  slow  in  coming  into  bearing,  unless  double  grafted.  October  and 
November. 

LOUISE  BON  DE  JERSEY  (D)— A  general  favorite;  beautiful  and  good.    October. 
LAWRENCE  D  *) — A  very  late,  long  keeping,  medium  size  pear  of  high  quality. 

December  to  March. 
LE  LECTIEB  (*  D) — A  large  French  staple  pear  of  high  quality;  tree  vigorous 

and  constant  bearer.     January  to  March. 

MARGARET  MABILLAT  (D) — Large,  handsome,  with  distinct  flavor.    September. 
MABECHAL  DE  LA  COUB  (**  D) — Large,  hardy,  melting;  very  fine  on  wall  or 

trellis.     October  and  November. 

MARIE   LOUISE    (*  D) — Large,   well   known   pear  of  highest   excellence;   double 
grafted  on  wall  or  espalier  it  attains  large  size,  and  is  invariably  of  good 
flavor.     October  and  November. 
MADAME  TREYVE  (*  D)— Large,  early,  melting  and  very  rich;  hardy.  September 


112  THE  SUBURBANITE'S   HANDBOOK 


FITMASTON  DUCKS3SE  (*  JO  C) — Very  large,  of  good  quality;  good  at  all 
points — in  orchard  house,  on  a  wall,  as  an  espalier,  or  as  an  orchard  standard. 
October  and  November. 

PASSE  CRASAITNE  (D) — An  excellent  late  pear;  one  of  the  finest;  requires  a 
good  soil  and  high  culture,  and  warm  situation  to  develop  its  best  qualities. 
January  to  March. 

FRINGE  NAPOLEON  (D) — Large;  a  seedling  from  Passe  Crasanne;  melting,  with 
fine  aroma.  January  to  March. 

SECKLE  (**  D  G) — Small;  an  American  pear;  allowed  to  be  "the  standard  of  ex- 
cellence in  pears."  October  and  November. 

SOUVENIR  DU  CONGRESS  (**  DG  D  C) — Very  large,  weighing  one  to  two 
pounds;  on  quince  requires  double  grafting;  excellent  on  a  wall.  September. 

SHELDON  (*  D) — Large,  globular,  russet;  flavor  resembling  the  Seckle.  October 
to  December. 

SWAN'S  ORANGE  (ONODAGA)  (D  C)— Large  yellow  pears  of  good  quality. 
November  to  December. 

WINTER  ORANGE  (C  PC) — Medium  to  large,  rich  russet  brown.     January. 

WINTER  NEIiIiIS  (*  D) — Below  medium,  melting,  juicy,  delicious  flavor;  pro- 
ductive. December  to  January. 

PEACHES. 

(Best  Twelve.) 

ALEXANDER  (**  Semi-Cling-)— A  handsome,  richly  colored  peach;  very  popular 

among  fruit  growers;  hardy,  ripening  out  of  doors  about  the  middle  of  June 

(FC?).     July. 
CRAWFORD    EARLY    (Free) — A    magnificent,    large,    yellow    peach    of    a    good 

quality;  its  size,  beauty  and  productiveness  makes  it  one  of  the  most  popular 

varieties;   hardy.     Midseason 
CRAWFORD,  LATE    (*?  FREE) — Fruit  large,   yellow,   vigorous,   productive;   one 

of  the  finest  late  sorts;  hardy.     End  of  September. 
CARMAN    (*?FREE) — Large,    resembling   Elberta   pale    yellow;    prolific;    hardy. 

Midseason. 
CHAMPION    (**?Free)— Of   recent   introduction;    large,   of  high   quality;    hardy. 

Ripens  after  Early  Crawford. 
ELBERTA   (**?  FREE) — Very  large;   golden  yellow;   hardy;   prolific.     A  general 

favorite.     Late   September. 
GROSSE    MIGNONNE    (*  Free)— Very   large   and    very   good;    midseason    peach. 

September. 
HALE'S    EASILY    (***  Free) — A    magnificent    early    peach,    highly    colored    and 

richly  flavored;  by  far  the  most  popular  of  the  early  peaches.    Ripens  in  July. 
NIAGARA   (**?Free) — A  large,   beautiful  and  high  quality  peach;   hardy.     End 

of  August. 
NOBLESSE    (**  Free) — One   of   the   best   peaches;    very    large;    one   of   the   best 

either  for  forcing  or  open  wall.     September. 
PRINCESS    OF   WALES    (**  Free) — Very   largest   and    best    of   peaches    known. 

Middle  to  end  of  September. 
ROYAL  GEORGE  (**  Free) — A  great  favorite;  large;  a  most  reliable  mid-season 

peach.     August  and  September. 

NECTARINES. 

ADVANCE    (*)— One  of  the  earliest.  Nectarines.     August. 

EARLY   RIVERS    (*  FC) — The   earliest   of   the   nectarines;   a   grand   acquisition. 

Beginning   of  August. 

LORD  NAPIER  (*  Free)— Fruit  very  large  and  handsome.     August. 
PITMASTON  ORANGE    (Free)— Large,   rich  and  sweet.     September. 


OF  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  113 


PINEAPPLE   (Free) — Large  and  very  rich;   ripens  a  week  after  the  Pitmaston. 

September. 
STANWICK    ELRUGE    (*  Free)—  Large    and    richly    flavored;    flesh    white    and 

sugary.     September. 

APRICOTS. 

BliENHEIM    (*) — Medium,   juicy  and  good;    tree   hardy  and  not  liable   to   gum. 

September. 
MO  OB  PARK  (*  Free) — Large,  early,  juicy,  rich  and  excellent;  tree  hardy.    End 

August. 
ROYAL   (*  Free) — A  standard  variety,   of  great  hardiness  and  all  around  good 

qualities.     July  and  August. 

EUROPEAN  GRAPES. 

(Hardy  for  Outdoors.) 

BLACK    HAMBURG — The    most    popular    European    grape    in    cultivation;    very 

large,   juicy,   vinous  and  rich;   most  popular  variety. 
GROS  COLMAN — Best  late  grape,  of  noble  appearance,  easily  cultivated;  flavor 

improves  by  late  keeping. 

LADY  DOWNE'S  SEEDLING — Valuable  late  keeping  grapes  of  fine  flavor. 
SWEET  WATER — The  best  of  the  hardy  grapes;  succeeds  well  in  the  open. 

AMERICAN  GRAPES. 

NIAGARA— Hardy,  white.  BRIGHTON. 

CONCORD— Hardy,  black.  DELAWARE. 

MOORE'S  EARLY— Hardy,  black.  AGAWAM. 

CHERRIES. 

BLACK   BIGARREAU — An    excellent    large   black    cherry;    very    recommendable. 

July  and  early  August. 
BLACK  TARTARIAN — Very  large,   sweet  and  good;  a  good  bearer.     Ripe  July 

and  August. 

BLACK  REPUBLIC — Large,  medium  season;  a  good  shipper.    August. 
BiNG — A  strong  grower;  fruit  very  large;  very  hardy  and  productive;  fine  mar- 
ket variety.     End  July. 

DIKEMAN — A  large  dark  cherry;  hangs  long  on  tree.     August. 
EARLY  RICHMOND — Red,  acid,  juicy;  good  for  cooking.     June. 
ELTON — Very  large;  light  red,  and  excellent.     July. 
ENGLISH  MORELLO — Productive,  and  late;  a  culinary  cherry  of  good  quality; 

when  grown  on  a  north  wall  of  building  may  be  kept  in  good  condition  until 

September  and  October. 
GOVERNOR  WOOD — Good,  early,  light  cherry;  tender,  juicy,  sweet  and  delicious. 

End  of  June. 
LAMBERT — Very  large,  flesh  firm,  flavor  unsurpassed;  excellent  shipper;  ripens 

two  weeks  later  than  Royal  Anne.     End  of  August. 

MAY  DUKE — Best  of  the  early  cherries;  well  known  old  variety.     June. 
NOBLE    (PC) — Large,    very    dark    red;    flesh    firm    and   very    late;    a   new    sort. 

September. 
OLIVET — Large,  globular;  very  shining;  deep  red;  flesh  tender,  rich,  vinous,  with 

sweet  sub-acid  flavor;  one  of  the  most  profitable  and  latest  cherries.     Sept. 
ROYAL  ANNE  (NAPOLEON  BIGARREAU) — A  very  fine  cherry  of  largest  size; 

very  productive.     August. 


114  THE  SUBURBANITE'S  HANDBOOK 

STRANG  LOGIE — A  magnificent  early  dark  red  cherry;   rich  flavor  and  an  ex- 
traordinary bearer.     June  and  July. 

1ART — A   beautiful    cherry;    pale   yellow,    marbled   with   red;    a   great 


bearer;  certainly  one  of  the  very  best  cherries.     Middle  of  July. 
WINDSOR — A  valuable  late  market  cherry;  fruit  large,  liver  colored;   flesh  re- 
markably firm  and  of  fine  quality;  very  prolific.     End  of  August. 

PLUMS. 

SEINE  CLAUDE  DE  BAVAY — Round,  greenish  yellow,  very  large,  rich  and  de- 
licious. October. 

BELGIAN  BED — A  delicious  dessert  plum.     End  of  August. 
COLUMBIA — Very  large,  round,  purple,  rich  and  sugary;  parts  freely  from  the 

stone.     August. 
CZAR — The  earliest  of  the  fairly  large  blue  plums;  the  best  of  its  season.     End 

of  July. 
COE'S   GOLDEN  DROP   (SILVER  PRUNE)— One  of  the  richest  yellow  plums; 

very  large.     End  of  September. 
ITALIAN   PRUNE    (HELLEMBERG;   Large   German   Prune) — Large,    juicy  and 

delicious;   freestone;   excellent  for  drying.     September. 

JEFFERSON — A  fine,  large,  oval,  yellow  plum;  very  rich,  juicy,  freestone.  August. 
KIRKE'S — A  delicious  dessert  plum  fruit;   large,  purple,  with  blue  bloom,   that 

does  not  easily  rub  off;  firm,  juicy  and  very  richly  flavored.     September. 
MONARCH  (F  C) — Fruit  very  large,  dark  purplish  blue;  freestone;  of  excellent 

quality;   skin  does   not  crack  with  heavy   rain;   grown   on  a  wall   the  fruit 

grows  very  large.     Late  September. 
PEACH  PLUM — Very  large,  brownish  red,  coarse  grained  but  juicy  and  pleasant. 

July. 

POND'S  SEEDLING  (HUNGARIAN  PRUNE) — An  enormous  bright  red  culinary 
plum,   decidedly  one  of  the  best  for  cooking  purposes;  very  productive  and  a 

good  shipper.     September. 

SHROPSHIRE  DAMSON — Small,  oval,  very  prolific;  culinary.     September. 
VICTORIA — The  most  prolific  of  all  plums;   fruit  large,   red,   juicy,   sweet  and 

pleasantly  flavored.     September. 
WASHINGTON — Large,    yellow,    marked   with   crimson   dots;    rich   and   sugrary. 

September. 

FIGS. 

BROWN  TURKEY— The  hardiest  variety;  brownish  purple;  large,  rich  and  excel- 
lent; bears  most  abundantly  in  pots  and  on  walls  and  forces  well. 

WHITE  MARSEILLES — Large,  greenish  white,  of  most  luscious  sweetness; 
bears  abundantly  and  forces  well. 

CUERANTS. 
Black. 

BLACK  NAFIES — Very  large  and  good. 

LEE'S  BLACK — Large,  very  productive,  very  sweet. 

VICTORIA — Black,  large  and  sweet,  with  long  bunches. 

Red. 

FAY'S  PROLIFIC — The  largest  red  currant;  bunches  short,  and  very  good, 
LA  VERSAIIiIiAISE — Very  large,  and  good;  an  abundant  bearer. 
RED  DUTCH — Bunches  short,  a  sweet,  rich  and  good  currant. 


OP  DWARF  FRUIT  TREE  CULTURE.  115 

White. 

WHITE  DUTCH — A  well  known  good  sort. 

NOTE — To  produce  very  large  red  and  white  currants  the  bush 
should  be  cut  in  closely,  i.  e.  the  young  shoots  should  annually  be 
shortened  to  two  inches.  Currants  make  very  handsome  pyramids 
and  bear  profusely. 

GOOSEBERRIES. 
Rough  Reds. 

CHAMPAIGNS — Very  rich  flavor.  LANCASHIRE  LAD — Great  bearer. 

COMPANION— Extra   fine.  RIFLEMAN— Immense;  late. 

CROWN    BOB — A    sure    cropper    and  VICTORIA — New;  highly  prized. 

good  quality.  WARRINGTON — Good  flavor;  late. 

IRONMONGER— Small,   high   flavor.  WINDHAM'S  INDUSTRY— Large  size. 

Smooth  Reds. 

CONQUERING  HERO— Heavy  cropper.    SLAUGHTERMAN— Extra  fine. 
MAJOR  HIBBERT— Large.  MAYDUKE— Very  early  and  desirable. 

Smooth  Yellows. 

LEADER — Very  fine.  LEVELLER — Extra  large;  good  flavor. 

White. 

WHITE  SMITH— Earliest  white.  ANTAGONIST— The  largest  white. 

Green. 

BERRY'S  EARLY  KENT— Early,  deli-  LANGLY'S      GAGE  —  Highly      flavored; 

cious.  grand  for  dessert. 

DRILL— Extra  fine.  SHAKESPEARE— Very  large. 

HARRABY    EARLY    GREEN— The  SIR  GEORGE  BROWN— Large  and  well 

earliest.  flavored. 

KEEPSAKE — Large,   early,   delicious.  STOCKWELL — Large  and   good. 

LANCER  (Howard's) — Large  and  great  TELEGRAPH — Extra  fine;  slow  grower. 

bearer. 


Rough  Yellows. 


BROOM  GIRL — Large  and  good  flavor.  GUNNES — Handsome,  richly  flavored. 

CATHERINA — Long  and  fine.  LANGLY     BEAUTY — Large    and    good; 

GOLDEN   DROP — Very    early,    fine  highly  flavored, 
flavor. 


DR.  A.  W.  THORNTON'S 

Suburbanite's  Dwarf  Fruit  Tree  Nursery 

FERNDALE 
Whatcom  County,  Washington 


This  nursery  is  being  established  for  the  propagation  of  Dwarf 
Fruit  Trees  and  will  be  confined  to  that  class  of  fruit  and  will  be  con- 
ducted on  the  co-operative  plan  and  strictly  under  the  Golden  Rule, 
a  large  proportion  of  the  profits  being  set  aside  and  divided  annually 
among  the  employees. 

The  operations  of  the  nursery  will  be  confined  to  the  production 
of  only  the  highest  quality  of  fruits  and  such  as  have  been  found  to 
respond  best  to  the  dwarfing  process.  No  inferior  stock  will  be 
allowed  to  grow  in  the  nursery  or  sold  therefrom. 

The  classes  of  fruit  grown  will  consist  of 
POME  FRUITS— (Apples,  Pears  and  Quinces.) 

STONE    FRUITS — (Peaches,    Nectarines,    Apricots,    Cherries    and 
Plums.) 

SMALL  FRUITS — Currants,  Gooseberries,  Raspberries,  Blackberries, 
etc.) 

TRAINED  TREES— Special  attention  will  be  given  to  this  line. 

This  nursery  will  be  kept  up  to  date  in  every  department  and 
the  interests  of  suburbanites  will  be  a  fundamental  rule. 

For  further  particulars  and  price  lists,  apply  to  as  above. 


Suburbanite's  Special  Collection  of 
Dwarf  Fruit  Trees 


I  will  furnish  these  special  collections  at  the  prices  named.  DC  • 
livered  free  by  mail  for  cash  with  order.  The  trees  will  be  of  the 
best  varieties,  assorted  of  the  class  known  as  " Maidens,"  or  one 
year  from  the  bud,  and  pruned  back  ready  for  planting. 

If  desired,  trees  of  a  bearing  age  (2  years)  and  furnished  with 
fruit  buds  that  will  bloom  and  bear  fruit  the  first  season  after  plant- 
ing will  be  furnished  F.  0.  B.  at  Ferndale,  Whatcom  County,  Wash- 
ington (as  the  roots  would  be  too  well  developed  to  send  safely  by 
mail),  at  50  per  cent  above  the  price  of  " Maidens." 

Collection  A — Apples. 

Five  assorted  apples  (early  and  late,  culinary  and  dessert) ;  my  own 
selection  of  varieties;  all  maidens;  free  by  mail $4.50 

Collection  B — Apples. 

Five  similar  varieties,  2  years  old  (bearing  age),  F.  O.  B.  at  Fern- 
dale,  Whatcom  County,  Washington $6.75 

Collection  C — Pears. 

Five  pears,  assorted  varieties,  Maidens;    my    selection;    free    by 
mail $4.50 

Collection  D— Pears. 

Five  pears,  similar  varieties,  2  years  old  (bearing  age),  with  fruit 
buds;  F.  0.  B.  at  Ferndale .$6.75 

Collection  E— Stone  Fruit. 

Five  assorted  stone  fruit  (peaches,  nectarines,  apricots  or  cherries) ; 
my  selection;  "Maidens;"  free  by  mail  for $9.00 


Collection  F— Stone  Fruit. 

Five  assorted  stone  fruit,  as  above,  2  years  old  (bearing  age) ;  F.  0. 
B.  at  Ferndale,  Whatcom  County,  Washington,  for $12.50 

SMALL  FRUIT. 
Collection  G — Gooseberries. 

One  dozen  assorted  Maidens,  gooseberries,  red,  white,  yellow,  green ; 
prize  varieties ;  my  selection ;  free  by  mail  (these  will  be  adapt- 
ed to  training  as  upright  cordons  or  U  form  cordons) $3.00 

Collection  H — Gooseberries. 

One  dozen  assorted  gooseberries,  2  years  old,  bearing  age ;  F.  0.  B. 
at  Ferndale  $4.50 

Collection  I — Currants. 

One  dozen  assorted  currants  (white,  red  or  black) ;  Maidens ;  free 
by  mail $2.50 

Collection  J — Currants. 

Six  fancy  trained  assorted  currants  (bushes — standards),  cordons; 
fruiting  age $3.00 


DR.  A.  W.  THORNTON 
Suburbanite's  Dwarf  Fruit  Tree  Nursery 

Ferndale,  Whatcom  County 

Washington 


YC  6174! 


5282 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


